The Ghost of You
by Susan strong
Summary: After running away from home, Jaimie Luanna Masters ended up in Amity Park living with the Fentons. Though the Fentons have accepted her living with them, they know little about her. After Danny's little accident with the Ghost Portal, that's when more information on Jaimie's life started revealing itself.
1. Chapter 1

**Ch. 1**

* * *

 _I spent my high school career,_

 _Spit on and shoved to agree,_

 _So I could watch all my heroes,_

 _sell a car on TV,_

 _Bring out the old guillotine,_

 _We'll show 'em what we all mean._

 **~Disenchanted; by My Chemical Romance**

* * *

I have been living with the Fentons for almost a year. It was Danny who brought me home, telling his parents I didn't have a place to stay. I'm a runaway—I had spent most of my life with a single father I didn't really get along with. What about my mother? She left when I was very little, only leaving behind a golden locket and her wedding ring. Apparently, my parents' marriage didn't even make it to four years. I was too young to remember it.

By the time I had turned fourteen, I had grown tired of how I was being treated by my father and ran away. I knew for a _fact_ he was searching for me the _moment_ he figured out I was gone. I'm positive he even sent whatever Ghostly goons he could find from the Ghost Zone to hunt me down. Yeah—my father has connections with Ghosts. Seems impossible, but it is true. My father's Vlad Masters, half-Human/half-Ghost, billionaire, and thrives on the idea of getting back some woman from his college days. I'm positive that even during the time he was married to my mother, he was still secretly obsessing over the other woman.

That other woman turned out to be Maddie Fenton, mother of my friend, Danny. Maddie had steadily become something of a surrogate mother to me. Since I hardly remember my own mother, it felt like Maddie filled in whatever emptiness I had over my mother's abandonment. But the one thing that stood out to me was Maddie's dedication to fighting Ghosts alongside her husband, Jack. They even built their own Ghost Portal in their lab!

Maddie and Jack were so different compared to Vlad. They were fun, eccentric, a little weird, but supportive! Vlad's only motives were to figure out how to win Maddie over and to make himself richer. He only paid attention to me when he was in desperate need of my assistance. I had gained some of Vlad's Ghostly powers, but he decided that since my mother was fully Human and he was only _half_ -Ghost, he'd have to do a little more to make sure I could actually _transform_ into a Ghost! Before, I could turn invisible and obtained intangibility. Because of my father's. . . . _experiments_ , I did obtain the ability to transform into a Ghost, and that was also the main reason I ran away from home. The idea that my father was undoubtedly OK with experimenting on his own daughter for his own gain made me furious!

I'm sorry for the ranting. Once I get started, it's hard for me to stop.

Anyway, I'm Jaimie Masters. I've been living with the Fentons for almost a year. I guess I would be considered half-Ghost, after what my father did to me. No one knows about that, though. At least, until after Danny had his little mishap with the Fenton Portal. But only Danny, Tucker, and Sam know about it. With Danny's parents being Ghost hunters, it's kinda impossible to find the nerve to tell them.

* * *

 _1 Month After Danny's Accident_

* * *

"So, Danny, Lulu, you and your little friends wanna hunt Ghosts!" Jack exclaimed proudly. Jack had gathered Danny, Tucker, Sam, and I into the lab so he could talk about the importance of Ghost hunting. Despite Danny—though accidentally—getting the Fenton Portal to turn on, there was still very little understanding on how it could work. Danny and I had our fill on fighting a small number of escaped Ghosts from time to time, but that was rare. The Portal was kept closed most of the time.

"Actually, Dad, I wanna be an astronaut," Danny stuttered.

"I'm hoping to be a musician," I murmured.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fenton, I _was_ into Ghosts," Sam sighed, "but they're so mainstream now. They're like cell phones."

"Waste these looks and all _this_ charisma hunting _Ghosts_?" Tucker exclaimed. "Criminal."

"Well if you do wanna hunt Ghosts, there're a few things you need to learn. . . ." Jack turned and started rummaging through his stuff. I felt a shiver run up my spine right as Danny stiffened in his seat. The Portal opened and two octopus Ghosts came out.

"Oh no, this isn't good!" Danny muttered.

The octopus Ghosts grabbed Tucker and Sam, with Jack being unaware, still talking like everything was normal. Danny and I quickly transformed, beating the octopus Ghosts and getting Sam and Tucker safely back to where they were before.

Quickly transforming back into our Human selves, Danny and I stood behind where Sam and Tucker were, out of breath.

". . . .that is the Fenton Portal," Jack went on, still oblivious to what just happened. "It releases Ghosts into our world, whether I want it to or not. Someday, I'll figure out how that works, too! So, who wants to hunt some Ghosts?!"

Sam and Tucker were still trying to get over the earlier scare, Danny and I still hadn't caught our breath.

"You kids—look at you! You're too excited to speak!" Jack exclaimed. "So I'll just go on speaking! I was born many years ago. . . ."

* * *

"Danny, I don't even get why your parents built that Portal," I sighed. After Sam and Tucker had left, Danny and I hung around in the kitchen. Jazz had retreated to her room to study, exclaiming how she couldn't be bothered with all that Ghost nonsense.

"They're Ghost fanatics," he muttered. "They've been this way for as long as I can remember."

I jumped up on and sat on the countertop, swinging my legs. I frowned. "If Jack and Maddie ever find out about what happened to you, how would they react?" I asked.

"They'd probably tear me apart," Danny scoffed, wrapping his arms around himself. "Actually, I don't even wanna think about it. I just wanna figure out how to control my powers."

"I have _some_ training," I offered, "I could help."

"Help with what?" Maddie asked, walking in. I quickly jumped off the countertop.

"W-With some of Danny's homework!" I stammered. "Ya know, he was having some trouble, I'm offering to help him. . . .with it. . . ."

"Right!" Danny exclaimed. "I'm having some trouble with an essay and Jaimie's helping with it."

"That's nice of you, Jaimie." Maddie threw a smile my way. I gave a strained smile and nodded.

Leaning against the countertop, I rested one of my elbows against it while Danny rummaged through the fridge.

"I was meaning to ask, how're you doing in school, Jaimie?" Maddie went on, putting out some mechanics on the tabletop.

"Uhm, I'm doing fine," I said, clearing my throat slightly. For a second, it felt like my arm was sinking. Looking at my arm, it was gone. I pursed my lips, quickly putting my invisible arm behind me, hoping Maddie hadn't seen.

"You know we want what's best for you, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," I stammered. "I-I, uh, owe you guys so much for taking me in!"

I looked over at Danny, he was still looking through the fridge.

"Don't be so silly, Jaimie!" Maddie exclaimed, laughing. "You can stay for as long as you want."

I nodded.

Closing the fridge door, Danny had an armful of food. "Well, uh, Jaimie and I are gonna go study now!" he cried.

* * *

Danny dumped all of the food he gathered on his bed before closing his door. He groaned and sat himself down on the bed.

"You don't look too good," I pointed out.

"My father wants me to be a Ghost hunter." He let out a humorless chuckle.

"Talk about ironic."

"I really hope I can figure out a way to control my powers," Danny sighed. "I don't want to accidentally hurt someone."

"You're doing fine so far!" I said supportively. "With some more practice, you'll be able to kick more Ghost butt in no time."

Danny let out another humorless chuckle. "That's easy for you to say. You've been half-Ghost this whole time!"

"You wouldn't have believed me beforehand."

"Yeah, well. . . .I could really use your help. You've got more experience than me."

"Barely."

"Barely will have to do."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **This is my first 'Danny Phantom' story! I used to—and still do—love the show when I was younger! I thought it was creative. I'm sorry if it felt like the first chapter was sloppy or rushed, just let me know if there's anything I can fix.**

 **I don't own 'Danny Phantom', the show belongs to the producers. I only own my fillers and characters.**

 **To clarify anything that might've come across as confusing in this chapter, Jaimie's been experimented on by Vlad, so she considers herself half-Ghost in the sense that she can transform like Danny and Vlad can. Jaimie didn't tell anyone about her powers until after Danny obtained his after that accident in the Fenton Portal. Jack calls Jaimie 'Lulu' because her middle name's Luanna.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you guys think of this chapter.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2**

* * *

 _I'm a young soul in this very strange world,_

 _Hoping I could learn 'bout what is true and fake,_

 _But why all this hate?_

 _Try to communicate,_

 _Finding trust and love is not always easy to make._

 **~New Soul; by Yael Naïm**

* * *

The next morning, while Danny, Jazz, and I were trying to eat breakfast, Maddie opted to working on one of her latest Ghost hunting devices. I could see the glares Jazz was throwing her mother's way, and it made me frown a little. Jazz always tried to act more grown up than her parents.

"Two more days, and it's done!" Maddie exclaimed cheerfully.

Jack ran up behind her and grabbed the device. "It's done?" he exclaimed. "The Fenton Finder is done!"

"Uh. . . .Fenton Finder?" I asked nervously.

"This baby uses satellites to lead you right to the Ghosts!" Jack cried.

"It uses what to track what?" Danny stammered.

Danny and I both stood from our seats and tried to discreetly walk away from Jack and Maddie.

 _'Welcome to the Fenton Finder. Multiple Ghosts are near. Walk forward.'_

Danny and I were pressed up against the fridge by the time Jack and Maddie had that device pointed at us. My heart was pounding painfully in my chest with that thing pointed so close to us.

 _'Ghosts located. Thank you for using the Fenton Finder.'_

"What?" Jack exclaimed. "That can't be right!"

"Actually, I need to tell you guys something. . . ." Danny sighed.

Pursing my lips, I looked up at Jack and Maddie. "Me, too," I said.

"That's not all you need, you two," Jazz interrupted. "You need guidance, and parents who can provide it."

"Sweetie, I know what we do doesn't always make sense sometimes, but you're only. . . ." Maddie chuckled.

". . . .sixteen," Jazz finished, "biologically. But psychologically, I'm an adult! And I won't allow your insane obsession with Ghosts pollute the minds of these impressionable children! Come, you abused unwanted wretches, I'll drive you to school."

Jazz wrapped her arms around Danny and I, leading us out of the kitchen.

* * *

As Jazz drove us to school, it was quiet. Not to mention uncomfortable. Sure, Jazz was trying to mean well by what she said, but it kind of struck a chord in me. Abused and unwanted? I knew all too well what those words meant. I never told the Fentons that, then they'd start asking all kinds of questions. I also had to tell a little white lie about my name—I found out my mother's maiden name and decided to go by that. For the meantime, I wasn't Jaimie Masters, I was Jaimie Baxter.

"Did you really have to say all that?" Danny asked, looking at his sister anxiously.

"Yes, Danny," she exclaimed. "They need to understand that they're neglecting you both."

"It's fine, Jazz," I stammered. "I-If Ghosts are something they. . . ."

"Jaimie, you shouldn't be defending them." Jazz's voice was stern, as if she were scolding a small child. "You and Danny shouldn't be exposed to this nonsense. They're not being responsible parents."

Danny shot a look my way.

* * *

At school, Danny and I found Sam and Tucker, heading over to Lancer's class before the bell rang.

"I think I should tell them," Danny said.

"Why?" Sam exclaimed. "Parents don't listen! Even worse, they don't understand. Why can't they accept me for who I am?"

"Sam, I'm talking about _my_ powers, _my_ problems," Danny deadpanned.

"Oh right. . . ." Sam said with a sheepish smile.

"If you're going to tell your parents, then I should tell them, too," I put in. "You shouldn't have to do it alone."

Danny sighed. "It's been a month since the accident and I still have barely any control," he said. "If anyone catches me, I go from geek to freak around here." Crossing his arms over his chest, Danny didn't seem to notice his legs disappearing and him steadily sinking through the floor.

"Kinda like you're doing now?" Tucker asked.

We helped Danny back up before anyone noticed.

"If my Dad can invent something that accidently made me half-Ghost, why can't he invent something that turns me back to normal?" Danny exclaimed, phasing through a vending machine.

"It's only been a month, Danny," I said. "At least give it a shot."

"It's hard enough being in high school, how am I supposed to handle having Ghost powers, too?"

"Danny, your powers make you unique," Sam exclaimed. "Unique is good! That's why I'm an ultra-recyclo-vegetarian."

"Which means what?" Tucker asked.

"She doesn't eat anything with a face on it," Danny explained.

"Who cares about that stuff?" Tucked exclaimed. "Danny, two words: meat connoisseur." Sniffing Danny, Tucker pulled back with a smirk. "Last night, you had sloppy joes."

"Impressive," I said.

"Meat heightens the senses," Tucker explained. "My all-meat streak is fourteen years strong."

"And it's about to end," Sam scoffed. "The school board finally accepted to try a new cafeteria menu."

"What kind of menu?" I asked.

"Come find out."

* * *

"Bread with grass on it?" I asked. I picked up the bread and felt a knot of slight disgust roll through me. "Is this what an ultra-recyclo-vegetarian eats?"

"What have you done?" Tucker cried.

"Guys, it's time for a change," Sam exclaimed.

Sitting at our usual table, everyone but Sam was hesitantly picking at the food. Grass on bread? _That_ was the new change in menu? It seemed a bit extreme.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Sam said. "Give it a try, you'll like it!"

"Sam, doesn't this seem a bit extreme?" Danny asked.

"Ah, Ms. Manson," Mr. Lancer said, walking up behind Sam. "The school board wanted me to personally thank you for ushering in this welcome experiment to our cafeteria."

"Meat. . . .near. . . ." Tucker exclaimed, sniffing the air.

"The rumors about the all steak buffet in the teacher's lounge are completely untrue," Lancer said. "Thanks again."

Tucker threw a scowl Sam's way. "Thanks for making us eat garbage, Sam."

"This isn't garbage, it's recyclable, organic, matter," she stated.

"It's garbage," Danny, Tucker, and I said.

* * *

Danny, Tucker, and I spent the next couple minutes poking at the food, not really knowing what to do with it. Sam kept trying to tell us that it was good, but we weren't really giving it a go.

I felt a shiver run up my spine and I briefly saw Danny's eyes widen.

"Guys, we've got a problem," Danny said. Something hit him in the back of the head before he could say anything else.

"Fenton!" someone shouted. Dash Baxter, the school's most popular guy and the one who's been bullying Danny for the longest time, stormed up to us. "I ordered three mud pies, do you know what they gave me? _Three mud pies_! With mud! From the ground! All because of your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Danny exclaimed.

"These are the best years of my life!" Dash cried, yanking Danny up by the collar. "After high school it's all downhill for me. How am I supposed to enjoy my glory days eating mud?"

"Actually, it's topsoil," Sam muttered.

Shoving Danny down, Dash shoved his plate over to Danny. "Eat it. All of it."

"Why don't you back off, Dash?" I snapped.

"I'd like to see you make me," he exclaimed.

"Touch him one more time and see if I don't?"

I felt another shiver go up my spine. Being able to just barely see around Dash, I saw a greenish colored woman go by at the other end of the cafeteria.

"Uh. . . .Garbage fight!" Danny cried, throwing the mud at Dash's face.

Everyone cheered and started throwing whatever _'food'_ they could find at each other. I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me back. Danny, Sam, Tucker, and I hid underneath one of the tables and waited for the perfect opportunity to crawl away from the fighting.

* * *

A Ghost lunch lady, that was what set off Danny's Ghost Sense and sent shivers up my spine. She seemed harmless enough, just floating and looking around the kitchen.

"She looks a little like my grandmother," Tucker whispered.

"Shouldn't she be haunting a bingo hall?" Danny muttered.

"Hello, children," she chirped, floating over to us, "can you help me? Today's lunch is meatloaf, but I don't see the meatloaf. Did someone change the menu?"

"Yeah," Tucker said. "She did." He pointed to Sam.

"You changed the menu?" she cried. "The menu's been the same for fifty years!" A gust of wind started swirling around us, her eyes were glowing a reddish color. Dark circles appeared under her eyes, a scowl on her face.

Jumping in front of where Sam, Tucker, and I were standing, Danny yelled out his usual catchphrase, "I'm going Ghost!", before flying up to where the Lunch Lady was.

Transforming as well, I flew up to where Danny was facing off with her.

"I command you to go away!" Danny cried, sounding very unsure about what he said.

"Is that the best you can come up with?" I muttered.

She threw her hand out and the nearest dishes flung at us. I managed to turn intangible and was about to do the same for Danny, but he'd already done it before I could react.

"Jaimie!" Danny called, pointing to where Sam was standing. The plates were going straight for her. I rushed over and caught the plates before they hit her. When she launched more plates in Tucker's direction, Danny rushed over and caught them before they hit Tucker.

"I control lunch!" the Lunch Lady cried. Danny and I placed the plates on the table. "Lunch is sacred! Lunch has rules! Anybody want cake?" she added in a sweet voice, holding up a slice of cake.

Sam and Tucker nodded.

"Too bad! Children who change my menu do not get dessert!"

Phasing through the ceiling, the three ovens behind her started shooting green flames. I pushed Sam and Tucker out of the way. When the ovens flew at us, I turned Sam and Tucker intangible and threw us through the wall. Danny followed suit right as a crash came from the other side of the kitchen.

"This is the thanks I get for thinking like an individual?" Sam cried.

The lights in the hallway gave out and some of the lockers flew open, books and paperwork flying to where the Lunch Lady was.

"Steak," Tucker said, sniffing the air. "Ribeye. Medium rare." The meat flew over and covered the Lunch Lady's body. "Where did it come from?" Tucker exclaimed.

"Prepare to learn why meat is the most powerful of the five food groups!" the Lunch Lady cried.

Danny threw himself in front of Sam. "The only thing who has an expiration date here is you!" he cried, before accidentally turning back into a Human. I shot out a purplish-pink ray at the Lunch Lady, and it took out a big chunk of her meat armor. Hitting me with the back of her hand, I slammed against the wall and felt myself black out for a second.

* * *

I jolted awake after feeling something shaking my shoulder. Sitting upright abruptly, I accidentally headbutted Danny. We both cried out in pain, holding our foreheads. I looked around and saw the mess the Ghost had made.

"Where's Sam?" I asked, noticing her absence.

"The Ghost took her," Tucker exclaimed.

"Are you OK?" Danny asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded. "You got hit pretty hard back there."

"I'll be fine." I looked at my hands—I had turned back into a Human. "What about you guys? Are you two OK?" They nodded. "I wasn't out that long, was I?"

"About five minutes," Tucker sighed.

"We need to get to Sam before that Ghost hurts her," Danny said, helping me up. "We can't afford to waste anymore time."

I nodded.

Before we took off, Danny grabbed my wrist. "You're sure you're OK?" he asked.

I gave a strained smile. "Ease off, Fenton," I said with a humorless chuckle. "I'm fine."

Right as we were about to take off, we were all stopped by Lancer. "You're not going anywhere!" he exclaimed.

"Told you you'd pay, Fenton!" Dash cried.

* * *

When we got to the office, we were sat down while Dash smirked down at us. Opening up a file from one of his many cabinets, Lancer started naming off all the things Danny, Tucker, and I got in trouble for.

"Tucker Foley: chronic tardiness, talking in class, repeated loitering by the girls' locker-room. Danny Fenton: thirty-four dropped beakers in the last month, banned for life from handling any fragile school property, but no mischief before today. Jaimie Baxter: repeated visits to the principal's office for participating in fights, chronic tardiness, and no prior records before coming to Casper High. Currently living with the Fentons. So, tell me, why did the three of you conspire to destroy the cafeteria?"

"W-We didn't!" I exclaimed. "It was. . . .uhm. . . ."

"Dash!" Danny cried. "Dash started it! He threw. . . ."

"Four touchdown passes in the last game, and is thereby exempt from scorn," Lancer snapped. "You three, however, are not. I'll have your punishment when I return. Mr. Baxter, watch the door."

The moment Mr. Lancer left, and with Dash standing on the other side of the door, Tucker, Danny, and I stood up.

"We gotta find Sam," Tucker said. "For some reason, I feel like _I_ got her kidnapped."

"Maybe because you told the Ghost _she_ changed the menu?" Danny snapped. "How about that?"

"We better figure something out quick," I said.

"That steak is still in the building," Tucker exclaimed. "Twenty yards, tops!"

Danny looked at some of the footage from the school's security cameras. "Look," he said, pointing to one of the screens. "Meat trail." Quickly turning into a Ghost, Danny grabbed Tucker's arm and phased through the floor. I quickly did the same thing.

* * *

"Sweet mother of mutton!" Tucker cried. We were at the entrance to the school's refrigerated section. Boxes upon boxes of cold or frozen meats were stacked up high. "I dreamed of it! I never thought I'd live to see it."

"How is it I have the Ghost powers and _you're_ the weird kid?" Danny asked.

Whatever Tucker was going to say got cut off by someone laughing. Quickly turning a corner, we saw the Lunch Lady and Sam, who was buried in a pile of meat.

"My dear child, meat is good for kids," the Lunch Lady said in her grandmotherly voice. "It helps them grow and makes them smile. Why won't you eat it?"

"We don't _need_ meat. That's fat."

"Silence!" the Lunch Lady screamed. "You need discipline! Manners! Respect! You know where that comes from? _Meat_! Chicken or fish?"

"Talk about a fruit loop," I muttered.

"I'll take care of the Ghost!" Danny exclaimed. "You two just figure out a way to get Sam out of that pile of meat."

"Way ahead of you," Tucker said.

Once Danny took off, Tucker and I went after Sam. Tucker was digging into the meat, enjoying it more than he should've. Sighing, I put my hands on Sam's shoulders and phased her out of the meat.

"Thank you," she said, shooting a disgusted look at the meat.

Before Tucker could take another bite, all the meat in the room went over and stuck onto the Lunch Lady, making some kind of big meat Ghost. Grabbing Danny, the Lunch Lady threw him at the nearest wall but he phased through.

Grabbing Tucker and Sam, I phased us out the nearest wall before the Lunch Lady could get us.

Putting them on the ground, I transformed back. Danny quickly appeared, looking exhausted.

"You look really bad," I said gently.

"Fighting giant meat monsters, phasing through walls, you must be exhausted," Sam said.

"Exhausted? Me?" Danny said. "What could give you that idea. . . .?"

He dropped to the ground and quickly transformed.

* * *

It took a lot of work for us to pick Danny up and bring him all the way to his house. Jazz hadn't been able to give us a ride home, and while I would've been up for using my powers to fly Danny to his house, it'd be hard with him being unconscious. So Sam, Tucker, and I picked up Danny and our stuff and walked all the way to his house.

Opening the front door, we saw Maddie and Jack standing there, looking a little confused.

"Hey there, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton!" Tucker exclaimed. "What a school day! Poor Danny nodded off. We figured we'd carry him all the way home and tuck him into bed with little to no interaction whatsoever!"

"Don't worry about it," I chimed in. "Danny's had a rough day, I don't think he's been getting enough sleep."

When we reached Danny's room, we put him on his bed. I sighed. He'd never used his powers that extensively before, so it made sense that he'd get so exhausted so fast.

"He'll be OK," Sam said. "He just wore himself out."

"I know," I said. "I've never seen him use his powers that much before."

"Yeah, but he put up a fight," Tucker murmured.

Danny's eyes opened and he let out a surprised shriek. "What's going on?" he exclaimed.

"You passed out," Tucker said. "We took you home. You've been asleep for four days!"

"Four days?" Danny cried.

"Nah, just a couple hours," Tucker chuckled.

"Knock it off, Tucker!" Sam snapped. "This is the second time today your carelessness almost got him killed."

"Me? I almost got him killed?" he snapped. "The only reason this happened was because you had to be unique. You had to take the meat away. And I'm going to get it back."

"You wanna change that menu back?" Sam cried. "You're going to have to go through me to do it!"

They ran out of the room, slamming Danny's door shut.

"I'm sure everything will be back to normal by tomorrow," Danny sighed.

"Try and get some more rest, Danny," I said.

"I don't know if I can," he said.

"Do you want me to stay until you do?" I asked. "Or. . . .at least make the time go by quicker."

He shook his head. "You get some sleep. I'll be fine."

I nodded.

"Jaimie. . . .about earlier. . . .you're sure you're OK?" he asked.

I shot him my best smile. "Never better."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry this chapter wasn't up earlier, I got sidetracked by responsibilities. I hope this chapter was good though! Let me know what you guys think. If you guys have any kind of questions on what Jaimie looks like, she's redheaded with green eyes, maybe a couple inches shorter than Danny. As a Ghost, her hair's turned into bluish colored flames, like Ember. Her Ghost outfit is almost like Danni Phantom's, only it's all white and without the D on the chest.**

 **I don't own 'Danny Phantom', that belongs to the producers. I own my fillers and characters!**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch. 3**

* * *

 _Slow down you crazy child,_

 _You're so ambitious for a juvenile,_

 _But then if you're so smart,_

 _Tell me why are you still so afraid?_

 _Where's the fire? What's the hurry about?_

 _You better cool it off before you burn it out,_

 _You got so much to do,_

 _And only so many hours in a day..._

 **~Vienna; by Billy Joel**

* * *

By the next morning, Danny and I were eating breakfast, trying to act as if yesterday's events hadn't happened. I could tell Danny had regained his strength, but he was still on edge about the Ghost still wandering Amity Park. Not to mention Tucker's and Sam's little dispute about the menu.

While Jack and Maddie were nice enough to offer giving Danny and I a ride to school, Danny declined, saying he'd rather walk. I agreed with him, politely declining the offer.

* * *

"You can't _really_ think Tucker and Sam would do anything too over-the-top, right?" I asked. While Danny and I were walking to school, there were more people out than usual. It seemed a little weird, but Danny tried brushing it off, but I could tell that the unusually large hordes of people gathering on the sidewalks and in the streets were getting Danny more anxious.

"I don't know," he murmured. "Sam might, she'll want to make a statement. Tucker would only do something over-the-top if he's trying to one-up someone else."

The closer we got to the school, the thicker the crowds became. The smell of cooking meat mingling with the smell of different plants hit us at full force and I could see Danny's face fall. The crowds were split down the middle: one group on the side of meat, with banners and grills and people in meat costumes; the other side had a hippy vibe to it with people on an abandoned bus, holding microphones and yelling something to their crowd.

"You two put together two protests in one night?" Danny asked, once Tucker and Sam approached us.

"How's that even possible?" I asked.

"Meat eaters," Tucker said. "We're always ready to fight. And our high-protein diet gives us the energy to do it quickly."

"Ultra-recyclo-vegetarians are always ready to protest," Sam put in. "And because we don't waste time cooking our food, we move even faster."

"Don't you guys think this is a little extreme?" Danny asked.

"No choice, buddy," Tucker exclaimed. "You're either with me. . . ."

". . . .or you're against him!" Sam cried.

"So whose side are you on?" they both exclaimed.

A huge gust of wind swept over the area. I felt that usual chill-up-my-spine when a bloodcurdling laugh echoed. The protestors started dropping their banners and food, running in the opposite direction of where the wind was starting to gather. All the meat from Tucker's protest started swirling into a giant meat Ghost.

"It's lunchtime!" it exclaimed.

"Guys, time to make up," Danny hissed. " _Now_!"

Sam and Tucker made sure to cover Danny, making it look like they were hugging. Danny quickly transformed.

"Jaimie, stay here and make sure nothing happens!" Danny cried before flying off.

I had a feeling Danny wanted to handle the Ghost alone, so I decided to do what he said. If anything happened down here, I'd try to help the best I could.

"We need to get people out of here!" Sam cried.

"Looks like they've got that covered!" I exclaimed.

"How about _we_ get out of here!" Tucker shouted. We were barely able to run three feet before one of the big posters from the protests tipped over from Danny's and the meat Ghost's fighting. Grabbing Sam and Tucker, I quickly made us intangible before the poster fell on us.

At that moment, Danny ran up to us to make sure we were OK.

"What happened?" Sam asked. "Where's the Ghost?"

"My parents have their moments," Danny exclaimed, holding up the Fenton Thermos.

 _'Ghosts directly ahead. You'd have to be some sort of idiot to not notice the Ghosts directly ahead.'_

Jack and Maddie walked up, covered in meat, with their Fenton Finder. Danny shoved the Thermos behind his back before his parents noticed. They looked at us, seemingly a little confused.

"Ah, sorry, Dad," Danny sighed, "you just missed him."

"We gotta runner!" Jack cried, running off with Maddie.

Jazz stood just a few feet behind where Jack and Maddie had been, shooting daggers at everyone. "Great, back to square one," she cried.

"You're not gonna tell them?" Tucker asked.

"No," Danny said. "I think I might've figure out what these powers are for. They make me. . . ."

A hand grabbed at Danny's shoulder before he could say anything else. ". . . .in a world of trouble," Lancer exclaimed.

* * *

Danny, Tucker, Sam, and I spent the rest of the day picking up the soiled meat and vegetarian stuff from the fight. We had pretty much filled up the dumpster with all the food we'd gathered. We were already exhausted from the day's events, but with Lancer and Dash hovering over us to make sure we picked up every piece of food, it was making us even _more_ exhausted.

"Manson! Pick up that T-bone!" Lancer shouted over a megaphone.

"With my hands?" Sam muttered.

"Foley! Pick up that turf-wich!"

"With my _hands_?"

* * *

By the time we all got home, it was past midnight. Jack and Maddie hadn't been too pleased at the thought of us having to stick around to clean up the mess, but found the punishment to be good enough to hopefully teach us a lesson. So, after a nice, long shower—with Danny banging on the door and yelling at me to hurry up—I put on my pajamas and went to bed.

The only problem was, despite my exhaustion, it was harder than I thought to _actually_ go to sleep. My mind kept reeling over everything that happened. Despite the Ghosts Danny faced since getting his powers, none of them were as big a deal as that Ghost Lunch Lady. The other Ghosts were weaker compared to her, probably a beginner's fight for facing larger, scarier enemies.

I sat up, rubbing my forehead with the back of my hand.

 _If the whole Ghost-fighting business is this intense, I don't even know how I can handle it._ I sighed.

Getting out of bed, I shuffled to the kitchen and took out the milk carton. Normally I would've been considerate and poured the milk into a cup, but at that moment, I could've cared less. Taking a long swig from the carton, I sat on the countertop and placed the carton next to me.

"Jaimie?" When the kitchen lights came on, I flinched slightly. Maddie walked over, in her pajamas, and frowned slightly at me. "Are you OK?"

I gave a strained smile and nodded.

"Why are you still up?" she asked.

"I. . . .I'm just not as tired as I thought I was," I said.

Maddie's face softened. "I know what happened today was hectic, and you're probably trying to understand what happened, but I promise nothing will happen to you, Jazz, or Danny."

 _'Trying to understand what happened?' I understand more than she knows—But she's also got years of Ghost hunting experience on her. I'm just some half-Ghost kid. Vlad's had me do some training after the experiments, but I never faced a Ghost that strong before. . . ._

"Uhm. . . .if I ask a question, would you promise to answer it truthfully?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Do you know who Vlad Masters is?" I asked.

A surprised look came across Maddie's face. "Yes," she said slowly. "He was a good friend of mine and Jack's in college. He had a terrible accident because of a miscalculation Jack had. Ecto-acne." Maddie's face hardened a little. "Why?" she asked.

My heart skipped a beat. I shrugged. "H-He knew my parents. Before I ran away. Uhm, you know, Packers fans and all. . . ."

Maddie nodded. "Is there something you want to tell me?" she said.

I shook my head. "I remember him talking about his college days and his old college pals. I-I was curious. Sorry."

"Why don't you head off to bed." Maddie smiled. I nodded.

Before I left, and after putting the milk away, I turned and looked at Maddie. "Seriously, though, Mrs. Fenton. . . .I owe you guys a lot for taking me in. You didn't have to, but. . . ."

"Jaimie, we weren't going to push away someone who needed our help. Danny was really worried about you—I've never seen him look so scared for someone before. You'll always be welcome in this house."

I felt my heart warm at that. _This is what a family should feel like._

I smiled.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter. Let me know what you think of Jaimie's character! How do you guys think the Fentons should react to finding out Vlad is Jaimie's father [when the time comes for Vlad's character to be introduced]? With Jaimie's mother being out of the picture, should she make an introduction later in the story? Does the whole Jaimie-considering-Maddie Fenton-to-be-a-surrogate-mother thing seem like an OK thing to have? I've got all these questions I'd like to ask, but I'll just to stick to those ones right now. Let me know what you guys think!**

 **I own absolutely nothing in the Phantom universe. The only thing I'll ever own are my characters and fillers.**

 **Leave a helpful and kind review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. 4**

* * *

 _Sing it out,_

 _Boy, you've got to see what tomorrow brings,_

 _Sing it out,_

 _Girl, you've got to be what tomorrow needs,_

 _For every time they want to count you out,_

 _Use your voice every single time you open up your mouth..._

 **~SING; by My Chemical Romance**

* * *

By the next morning, I was really exhausted. My alarm clock had been an unwelcomed disturbance and the thought of going back to school made me feel even worse. After forcing myself out of bed and getting dressed, I shuffled to the kitchen. Whatever kind of discussion the others were having stopped when I came in.

"Am I interrupting something?" I sighed.

"Maddie was saying how you know Vladdie!" Jack cried.

My stomach knotted. "Uh, yeah."

"Maddie and I went to college with Vlad," Jack went on. "He was my best friend. . . ."

"Jack, sweetie," Maddie interrupted, in a very polite manner. "Jaimie, we were just wondering if, maybe, you could call Vlad and. . . ."

". . . .leave?" I interrupted. My stomach felt so tight it was nauseas. My heart felt like it was skipping a beat. "You want me to call Vlad and see if I can go back home. Back to Wisconsin, to. . . ." I pursed my lips. "I'll see if I can."

* * *

I had left without another word. I didn't stick around for breakfast and I didn't stay long enough for Maddie or Jack to come up with some kind of explanation for themselves. I knew they were trying to mean well, but I still hated the idea of going back to Wisconsin. If I had the guts to tell them why I ran away, why I never mention my parents often, then maybe they'd understand. But they wouldn't. How do I explain their old college buddy—the billionaire—was actually half-Ghost and experimented on his own daughter? They wouldn't believe me for a second.

"Jaimie, wait up!" Turning, I saw Danny jog over to me. I had taken to walking to school, trying to clear my head. "What was that all about?"

"That's a sensitive topic for me."

"That Vlad guy? I've never heard of him before."

"He's your father's college pal."

"But what is he to you?"

I hunched my shoulders. "It's complicated." I could feel Danny's eyes lingering on me for a solid minute before he let the topic drop.

"Mom and Dad are kinda worried," he went on, a bubble of irritation forming in my gut.

"They shouldn't be," I muttered. "Can we just drop this please?"

"So, uhm. . . .do you think we could practice after school?" Danny asked.

"Practice?" It took me a moment for me to realize what he was asking. "Oh. Your powers."

Danny nodded.

"Of course. I'll help the best I can."

* * *

The school day seemed to drawl on, feeling like it was going on forever. By the time Lancer's class rolled in, I was already wishing for the class to end.

"Ms. Baxter, I hope you learned a valuable lesson after yesterday's events," Lancer said.

I scowled.

Sitting in my seat, I hunched over.

"Hey, are you OK, Jaimie?" Sam asked, sitting in front of me.

"Never better," I grunted.

"She's just been having a bad day," Danny said, sitting next to me. There was still an unsettling look in Danny's eyes and I tried my hardest to not feel touched at his concern. I knew they all meant well, but there was something about it that made me angry, and the very thought of Vlad's name being mentioned angered me even more.

"I'll be fine," I sighed. "Danny's got his practice after school today so I've got that to look forward to."

"You never did mention how you got yours, Jaimie," Tucker said, sitting next to Danny.

My lips pursed. "It's. . . .complicated."

"How complicated?" Sam asked.

"I don't know how to explain it," I sighed.

Before the conversation could be pushed any further, Lancer started class and I felt a wave of relief wash through me.

* * *

By the end of the day, Sam, Tucker, Danny, and I all went and got a quick bite at the Nasty Burger before going back to Danny's to practice. We were hoping Jack and Maddie weren't in the lab, at least so Danny could have a little bit of time to practice what he needed.

"OK, what do you really want to practice?" I asked as we headed for the lab.

It took Danny a moment to think it over. "How about controlling my powers when I'm _not_ a Ghost?" he asked.

"Well, that's a little easy," I hummed. When we reached the lab, we were lucky enough not to have to deal with Jack or Maddie, assuming they were doing something in the Fenton Ops Center. "It takes some concentration, and a little luck."

"I've been concentrating and it doesn't really do anything."

"It's only been a month, Danny." I put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "In no time at all, I bet you'll have better control and understanding of your Ghost powers than me."

He gave a small smile.

"Remember—controlling your powers as a Human takes concentration." Looking Danny over for a minute, I bit my bottom lip in concentration. "You've got the whole intangible thing down and you're pretty good at flying. . . ."

"You can shoot those rays out of your hands," Danny pointed out.

I smiled. "Ecto-rays, I think that's what they're called. With a little practice, I think you'll be able to do the same." Putting my hands on my hips, I nodded for Danny to transform.

Quickly turning into a Ghost, he looked expectant on what to do next.

"For now, let's just focus on what you _can_ do," I said. "You're doing well on frontal attacks, there might be some work to be done on that, but you're doing good." He nodded. "But the main thing right now is figuring out how you don't overuse your powers."

"How would he be able to do that?" Sam asked.

"The way I see it, his body's still adjusting to the whole. . . ." I waved for the right word. ". . . .Ghostly parts. It's like exercising, you'll get tired quicker in the beginning, but the more you practice, the better you'll get."

Smiling Danny nodded. "That's one way of seeing it."

"Good!" I exclaimed. "Let's get started."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter! I hope you guys like it. Let me know on what you think about Jaimie. If there's any way I can make her character better, let me know. Would it be OK to put in flashbacks of when she lived with Vlad? What do you guys think I should do?**

 **I don't own 'Danny Phantom', I only own the fillers I write and the characters I create. Everything else will always belong to the show's producers.**

 **Just to sidetrack a bit, and I don't know how recent this was, but I guess Butch Hartman was at one point hinting at a live action 'Danny Phantom' movie, I believe. Again, I don't know how recent that hint was, so let me know what you guys think.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch. 5**

* * *

 _I know I took the path that you would never want for me,_

 _I know I let you down, didn't I?_

 _So many sleepless nights where you were waiting up on me,_

 _But I'm just a slave unto the night..._

 **~I Bet My Life; by Imagine Dragons**

* * *

After Danny's training had finished, and Sam and Tucker had gone home, Danny and I left the lab and decided to hang out in the living room. Danny was exhausted, but not too tired to try and relax a little.

"Am I doing a little better, at least?" Danny said, leaning back on the sofa. He had turned the TV on, flipping through it until some horror movie caught his eye.

"I'd say you are," I said, smiling at him. "With a little more practice, I think you'll be just fine!"

He let out a sigh. "That's a relief." He glanced over at me. "I can't thank you enough for helping me."

"It's fine." I gave him my brightest smile. "It's practice for both of us."

Danny smiled in return.

Despite the fact that I've known Danny for almost a year, there was something about him that made me feel. . . .I don't know. I guess there was something about him that made me feel special.

Looking down for a moment, I tried to stop myself from feeling all embarrassed. Out of the corner of my eye, I swore I saw Danny turn a little red before focusing his attention on the movie.

* * *

 ** _If I can get far enough, maybe he won't know where to find me._** _I looked behind me. There were no signs of any of those Ghosts. **They fell back not too long ago! I need to find a place to hide.** Looking down, I saw a decently sized city. It seemed big enough for me to hide in. Quickly turning invisible, I flew down to the city. It was bustling, seemingly the perfect place for me to hide. Flying, quickly, into the first alleyway I saw, I transformed back into a Human. I froze when I felt a shiver run up my spine. **No. . . .they saw me come in here!** I peeked toward the entrance of the alleyway, not seeing anything. Looking up, I saw the forms of the Ghosts. They seemed to be arguing. I let out a sigh of relief. **They don't know I'm down here!**_

 _Quickly exiting the alleyway, I kept my head down and my arms crossed. If they hadn't noticed me, then I should be able to find a place to lay low for a little while. I nearly screamed when I bumped into someone. He had blue eyes and black hair, looking almost confused at my jumpy behavior._

 _"I-I. . . ." Looking up, the Ghosts were gone. I swallowed thickly. "Sorry," I muttered._

 _He smiled, though it was an awkward one. "It's fine." He walked off._

 _— **The Ghost of You**_ _—_

 _It was pretty late into the night. Since I had runaway early into the evening, the sun hadn't even gone down yet. But with the sun having set almost an hour ago and having nowhere to stay, I was cautiously wandering the empty streets. I stopped when I saw a building with giant signs on it._

 _"Fenton Works," I muttered. I kept walking._

 _"Hey!" I turned and saw that boy from earlier, standing at the entrance of the building. I took a cautious step back. "It's pretty late," he said, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing out here?"_

 _"I. . . .uh. . . .I don't have a place to stay."_

 _He looked surprised. "You could stay here," he offered. "My parents wouldn't mind!"_ _Motioning me over, I cautiously approached him. "I'm Danny."_

 _"Jaimie."_

 _Danny smiled. "Hopefully you won't mind, but my parents have an old friend visiting. They haven't seen each other since their college days."_

 _Opening his front door, I paled when I saw Vlad standing there._

 _"Well, well," he said, a knowing smirk coming across his face. "It's nice seeing you here, my girl."_

 _—_ ** _The Ghost of You_** _—_

I woke up with a gasp. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest, my lungs felt like they were on fire. My alarm clock was blaring and I quickly stopped it. My bedroom door opened and I saw Jack and Maddie, with Danny behind them, barging in.

"You OK, Lulu?" Jack cried, holding one of his Ghost weapons.

"We heard you scream," Maddie exclaimed.

 _I screamed?_ "I-I'm fine, sorry." I tried for a smile.

After a minute, Jack and Maddie left, leaving only Danny in my room, there was a look of concern on his face.

"Ease off, Fenton," I said, giving a nervous chuckle. "I'll be fine."

* * *

By the time I made it downstairs, dressed and ready to leave, there was an air of uncertainty when I came in. Danny and his mother were still shooting worried looks my way, Jack seemed to be focusing more on whatever Ghost hunting gizmo he'd be creating, and Jazz was—more or less—trying to focus on whatever she was working on than pay attention to her family.

"I'm just gonna head over to school," I said.

"Are you sure?" Maddie asked.

I nodded. "I'll pick something up on the way there."

* * *

I picked up some breakfast sandwich at the Nasty Burger before heading over to school. Danny caught up to me after a little bit.

"You're sure you're OK?" he asked softly.

"Seriously, you guys worry too much," I muttered.

"Well. . . .after that whole Vlad incident, Mom and Dad have been a little concerned," he murmured. "Then they heard you scream. . . ."

"Danny, I appreciate you guys worrying about me, but really—calm down," I sighed. "It's really unnecessary."

"Jaimie. . . ."

I turned and looked at him head-on. I saw a look sweep across his face. "I'm fine," I murmured. " _Please_ —stop worrying about me."

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, Danny, Sam, Tucker, and I were sitting at our usual table. Luckily, Dash wasn't really bothering Danny so we had a moment of peace.

"That big dance is coming up," Tucker exclaimed.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Great," she muttered. "I don't get what the big deal is about some dance."

"It could be fun!" Danny said.

"I gotta agree with Sam on this one," I said. "People are making this into a bigger deal than it needs to be."

"Is it 'cause no one's asked you to the dance yet?" Tucker said.

"No. Even _if_ I go to that dance, why would I need a date?" I shrugged. "I could have still fun without some guy."

Sam shot a look Danny's and Tucker's way. "At least Jaimie gets it."

" _If_ you went to the dance and had a date, who'd you want it to be?" Danny asked.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks. Avoiding Danny's eye, I shrugged.

"Oh, c'mon!" Tucker exclaimed. "You gotta have someone in mind."

"I _suppose_ I do," I said cheekily. "But that doesn't mean I have to say who." I shrugged. "Besides, I doubt I'm going anyway."

"Why?" Danny asked.

"Dances aren't really my thing. I can't dance, I don't look good in dresses—dances? Not my style."

I picked at my food for a moment. A part of me really did want to go to the dance, but I knew it'd probably be a waste of time. I did know some formal styles of dancing, something Vlad wanted me to learn when I lived with him. Unlike other kids my age, who could do the more popular styles of dancing, I was stuck knowing various styles of ballroom dancing.

 _Maybe if I can find something about this dance worth the effort, I could give it a go._

I decided to keep that in mind.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Let me know what you think about this chapter! Sorry it took so long to put up, though. Hopefully you guys still like it.**

 **Nothing in the Phantom universe belongs to me! I only own my characters and fillers, everything else belongs to Butch Hartman.**

 **If you've got suggestions on future filler updates, let me know! I could keep up with creating fillers on my own, but it's always nice to know what the reviewers think should happen!**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch. 6**

* * *

 _Don't you think that it's boring how people talk?_

 _Making smart with their words again, well I'm bored,_

 _Because I'm doing this for the thrill of it, killin' it,_

 _Never not chasing a million things I want,_

 _And I am only as young as the minute is full of it,_

 _Getting pumped up on the little things that I bought,_

 _But I know they'll never own me..._

 **~Tennis Court; by Lorde**

* * *

"I swear, if I hear _one more person_ talk about this stupid dance, I'm going to scream." I crossed my arms over my chest. It was lunch at school. Sam, Tucker, Danny, and I were at our usual table. Everyone was buzzing about the dance—what they were going to wear, who they're going with, what they're going to do afterward—I was about ready to explode if I heard it mentioned one more time.

"Quit being such a killjoy!" Tucker exclaimed. "Just go to the dance."

"What's the big deal anyway?" Danny laughed. "I can see Sam hating this dance, but you're just such a downer about it."

"I didn't mind it at first, but people keep talking and talking and talking—it's ridiculous."

"Well, if you're not going, you could help Danny and I find a date," Tucker exclaimed almost desperately. "The dance is coming up way too quickly and I don't have a date yet."

"Tucker Foley, what is it with you and wanting a date?" I exclaimed. "If you don't find a date by the time the dance rolls around, that's fine."

Tucker threw a dry, sarcastic look my way. "I don't need this kind of negativity right now," he sighed.

"I do agree with Jaimie on that the dance has become overrated in these past few days, but I agree with Danny that you're being more of a downer than me." Sam threw a look my way. "And I'm the Goth here."

"Sorry," I muttered, avoiding their eyes.

"Why don't you and Danny go together?" Sam offered. "I'm sure the two of you could have a fun time together."

I felt my cheeks heat up. Danny turned bright red at that.

"What!" I squeaked. "N-No! I just. . . .I don't think. . . ."

"N-No way, Sam!" Danny stammered embarrassedly.

"Why d-don't _you_ go with him!" I exclaimed, trying to stop my face from getting any redder.

Sam shrugged, a smirk on her face. "I wouldn't mind going with Danny, as a friend. But everyone at this school is under the impression Danny and I are boyfriend and girlfriend. I don't want to fuel their rumors."

I buried my face in my hands.

"I can't even go to the dance anyway," I muttered, managing to stop myself from blushing even more. "I have a big project due that night and I'd like to get it done by then."

"You could get it done early," Tucker suggested.

I shrugged.

* * *

By the time school came to an end, Sam, Tucker, Danny, and I went and hung out at the Nasty Burger for a little while. It had been a relatively calm couple of days. Since the Lunch Lady had been taken care of, Ghost activity had been at an all-time low since the Portal's activation. It gave us a little break and more time to focus on other things for the time being, but Danny and I still had our training, which we tried to keep on the down-low. With his parents and sister always nagging at us about curfews and chores and homework, Danny and I needed to work out a _really_ strict schedule.

Needless to say it was working for now. His family wasn't suspecting a thing.

"I've been meaning to ask," Sam said, taking a bite out of her salad, "you've never really talked about your family with us, Jaimie."

I stiffened for a moment, sort of paralyzed in the middle of biting my burger. "Family?" I mumbled.

"She's right," Danny said. "You've been living with me for a while and we no absolutely nothing about you."

"I-It's really not that important," I stammered.

"All we know is that you're a runaway," Sam exclaimed. "You're one of our best friends and know hardly anything on you."

I swallowed thickly. "I-I just don't see why it's an issue," I stammered. "The whole reason I ran away was 'cause I wanted to get away from certain problems."

"But don't you think it's a little weird?" Tucker exclaimed. "Your parents aren't looking for you, Danny's parents haven't even tried calling anyone—it's like no one's questioning you being here."

"I just wanted to get away from certain things," I muttered, looking at my food with less of an appetite than before. "I didn't know it was bothering you guys so much."

"Could you at least tell us _something_ about yourself?" Sam cried.

"One _little_ thing," Danny pleaded.

I felt my stomach twisting. I didn't even know it was bothering them that much. I thought they understood that I didn't really like talking about myself—if I talk _too_ much, I might blurt something out I wasn't supposed to. Then they'd start asking questions; Danny might say something to his parents; then the chances of me returning to Wisconsin would get brought up. Then there'd be the possibility of me running away from the Fentons.

"I don't really know what to tell you guys," I said nervously.

"What were your parents like?" Sam asked.

 _My parents! Well, my Mom abandoned me when I was really little, my father is a half-Ghost billionaire who experimented on me so I could do some of his dirty work. Who's my father? Oh! It's Vlad Masters, he went to college with Danny's parents! But he's kind of obsessed with Danny's Mom, and I'm pretty sure that's why **my** Mom left. I don't really remember my Mom—all she left was her wedding ring and a locket. And me. I don't think she loved me. But I guess my Dad kinda cared about me—sometimes he paid attention to me! At least. . . .well, if it didn't involve robbing banks. . . .I mean, sometimes he'd acknowledge me if it didn't involve that. But I only robbed a bank once! That was after the experiments were a success. . . .It wasn't a big bank, some small, local bank. I didn't want to, but Dad said some pretty hurtful things, so I had to._

"They're divorced," I said. It wasn't a _complete_ lie. In a sense, my parents were divorced. Mom left without a word—no letters, no cards, nothing—and Vlad seemed to have gotten over it relatively quickly. He got to openly continue with his plans to win Maddie's love.

I saw them wince.

"That must've been rough," Danny said.

I shrugged.

"Did you live with your Mom?" Tucker asked.

I shook my head. "My. . . .father got full-custody," I muttered. "We didn't always get along."

"Parents just don't understand what it's like to be a kid these days," Sam said, crossing her arms over her chest. "They're always throwing around _'when I was your age'_ , but today is _nothing_ like when they were kids."

 _It goes **way** beyond a little misunderstanding, Sam._

I tried for a smile, making it look like I agreed with what Sam said.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Let me know what you think of this chapter! If you've got any ideas on future updates—possible side-plots, new characters, anything you'd like to add!—leave a review or PM me. I'm always up for suggestions.**

 **I own nothing in the Phantom universe, that all belongs to Butch Hartman. I own Jaimie, my fillers, and any other OC's I add into the story.**

 **Thank you to _BlueEyedDreamer97_ for your review! It really means a lot.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch. 7**

* * *

 _When I was younger I saw my daddy cry,_

 _And curse at the wind,_

 _He broke his own heart and I watched,_

 _As he tried to reassemble it..._

 **~The Only Exception; by Paramore**

* * *

A pattern seemed to develop between Danny and I. I'd help him with his Ghost powers whenever we got the chance and we'd stop any minor Ghosts that escaped the Ghost Zone. It was our job. Sam and Tucker helped, too.

Everyone else, as usual, stayed completely oblivious to the whole thing.

Danny's family stayed especially oblivious—every time Danny's powers seemed to be acting up, he'd cover it up the best he could, even if it had been a sloppy cover up, and his family bought it completely.

Not to mention lying to them seemed way too easy. It made me feel awful that we had to lie every time we came home late or why Danny was so exhausted all the time.

His family meant well, and they were really worried about us, but we had to keep coming up with fresh excuses so they didn't get _too_ suspicious. It was even surprising that _Jazz_ hadn't caught onto what we were doing. She was sharp and bright, but when it came to Danny and I having Ghost powers, she was completely oblivious, too. I brushed it off as her not wanting to seem obsessed with the whole Ghost ordeal like her parents.

But soon, the days rolled into weeks and we kept up our routine of trying to control our Ghost powers the best we could. Danny still struggled with his powers even as a Human, and he trained relentlessly to keep them under control.

Unfortunately, though, his mind was occupied by something else.

Casper High's dance.

* * *

After coming home from school, and after finally being away from everyone's excitement for the dance, Danny and I were going to the lab so we could practice. Only Jack was down in the lab—with the Portal opened and a fishing line in the Portal.

"Hey, Dad, what're you doing?" Danny asked.

"Danny, keep it down, you'll scare away the Ghosts," Jack scolded. "It's the Fenton Ghost Fisher. I'm fishing for Ghosts."

"Why're you fishing for them?" I asked.

"Not a single Ghost has come through this portal in weeks," Jack exclaimed. "If they're not coming out, I'll take them out."

Danny and I shared a look.

"Check out this line." Jack showed us the fishing line. "It's coated with a ectoplasmal residue that Ghosts can't break. Quiet now, don't wanna spook 'em."

We watched for a moment while Jack waited intently for a Ghost to latch on. It felt a bit weird, watching Jack literally _fishing_ for Ghosts, but it was something that kept us occupied for a moment.

A look swept across Jack's face as he shoved the fishing pole into Danny's hands.

"That soda goes right through you like Sherman through Georgia," Jack exclaimed. "Hang onto this! I'll be right back after I finish using the Fenton Urinal."

Jack ran out of the lab faster than Danny and I could imagine.

"Your Dad's weird." I gave Danny a look.

"You don't need to remind me."

Danny jumped when the fishing line started rolling out. I felt a shiver run up my back and Danny stiffened.

"Oh no. . . ." he muttered.

He tried tugging on the fishing pole, and I tried helping the best I could, but when there was a sound that was similar to a _snap_ , Danny and I froze for a moment.

"Jack said this couldn't break, right?" I asked. We shared a look.

Green smoke came out of the Portal right as a giant, greyish-blue, translucent, clawed hand shoved its way out. The rest of the Ghost shoved its way out of the Portal, and I felt a weight drop in my stomach. It was a Dragon Ghost.

 _"I want to go!"_ it roared.

Danny dropped the fishing pole, grabbing my hand, and tried making a way to the exit.

The Dragon grabbed Danny and yanked him up, ripping him from me. I stumbled back, a little hurt from how violently it yanked Danny from me.

 _"I have to go!"_ it shouted.

Transforming, I quickly flew up and was about ready to shoot out an ecto-ray.

"You'll have to stand in line behind my Dad," Danny countered. "In the meantime. . . ." He quickly transformed and phased out of the Dragon's hand.

I shot out an ecto-ray and that caused the Dragon to go back only a couple inches before glowering at us. Kneeling on all fours, it shot out green flames from its mouth, just barely missing Danny and I. Danny flew forward and kicked the Dragon, causing it to lost its balance. It started to glow a bluish-green and transformed into a Ghost girl in medieval clothes.

"All I wanted was to go to the Princess Costume Ball," she said softly, "and my horrid Mummy won't let me!" She flew back into the Ghost Zone.

I went over and tried to close the Portal.

"If that Dragon suits her idea of a costume," Danny scoffed, "I'm on Mummy's side."

Hearing footsteps coming to the lab, Danny and I quickly transformed back into our Human forms.

"That was a relief," Danny sighed.

I backed up from the Portal right as Jack ran in with two cans of soda.

"I'll tell you what a relief is!" Jack exclaimed before a look swept across his face. "Darn! I almost forgot!" Shoving the sodas into Danny's hands, Jack ran out of the lab. The sound of a toilet flushing could be heard.

Danny and I shared another look.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry if it felt like I rushed from one thing to the next, I just didn't want to bore you guys with a whole bunch of fillers. I might have a few more after I finish with this one!**

 **I own absolutely nothing in the DP universe. All I own are Jaimie and my fillers [plus any other characters I add to the story].**

 **If you've got any suggestions on future updates—any OC's you'd like to add, side plots, flashback ideas for Jaimie, etc.—just leave a review or PM me. I'm always open for ideas. Even if you have suggestions for Jaimie and how she could grow as a character, let me know!**

 **I'd like to thank the reviews I've gotten for this story! Thank you guys so much. I hope you continue reading and liking this story.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch. 8**

* * *

 _There's a wild wind blowing,_

 _Down the corner of my street,_

 _Every night there the headlights are glowing,_

 _There's a cold war coming,_

 _On the radio I heard,_

 _Baby, it's a violent world..._

 **~Life in Technicolor ii; by Coldplay**

* * *

The next day, by the time lunch rolled around, Sam, Tucker, Danny, and I were eating outside at one of the lunch tables. Tucker was desperately asking every single girl—the ones he had the guts to talk to—if they would go to the dance with him. By the time he came sulking back to the table, a smirk was already on Danny's face.

"Strike three, Tuck?" Danny exclaimed.

"Try strike _three thousand_ ," Tucker grumbled.

"I don't get what the big deal is about some stupid dance," Sam exclaimed. "I don't need to be asked to some dance to know I'm special."

When neither Tucker nor Danny responded to Sam, she and I took a look at them. Their attention was on something else—or, rather, _someone_ else. They had those big, happy puppy dog eyes. Which could only mean one thing.

"Paulina," I sighed.

"Paulina," Danny and Tucker said dreamily.

It would be a lie to say that Paulina wasn't the most popular girl at school. And considered the most attractive by every single male student there. Whenever Paulina was near, the guys would drop whatever they were doing to try and gain her attention. She basked in the attention she received.

So when she walked by with her lunch, literally all the eyes of every available guy in the school followed her like lost puppies.

Sam and I shared a look of disbelief.

"Paulina," Danny and Tucker repeated.

"Oh, please," Sam exclaimed. " _Paulina_? Girls like her are a dime a dozen."

When Danny and Tucker started comparing whatever change they found in their pocket, I let out a humorless chuckle.

"Since you're both so taken back by _Paulina_ , one of you ask her out," I challenged.

Tucker immediately shot it down. "Why don't you go, Danny?" he said. "Go to that library and check out that book."

Danny hunched his shoulders, looking almost defeated. "I can't," he sighed. "I get all weak-kneed when I try to talk to cute girls."

I threw a dry look Danny's way, not to mention the look Sam was giving him.

"Well, that certainly makes me feel special," I grumbled sarcastically. Yanking Danny out of his spot, I pushed him over to where Paulina was. "Go give your weak-knees some exercise."

Sam, Tucker, and I watched while Danny awkwardly tried making a move on Paulina—needless to say, it was a disaster before it even started. Danny was clumsy, uncomfortable, and clearly struggling to get the words out. And just to top it off, his pants ended up falling. Which, in turn, got the attention of every able bodied person, which caused Danny to become a bit of a laughingstock.

Sam and I were at his side in the blink of an eye.

"A gentleman typically tips his hat," Paulina laughed, "but I'll give you points for originality."

"Kudos, Danny," Sam said, "you just set an all-time record for drowning in the shallow end of the gene pool."

A look swept across Paulina's face. "Oh no," she exclaimed. "You did not just call me _shallow_ did you?"

"If she means we can stand in a puddle full of you and not get our feet wet?" I said sarcastically. "Then yes."

"Shallow? I am not shallow."

Wrapping my arm around Danny's shoulders, Sam and I led him away from Paulina, who was shooting daggers at us the entire time.

"Don't worry, Danny," I murmured, "you'll find another girl and knock her out."

I felt him laugh at that.

* * *

Normally, we'd all kind of hang around each others' lockers between classes, but Sam and I couldn't do that. So at the end of the day, I walked home with Danny—who embarrassedly told me the story of how his pants fell _again_ and that was why he was wearing an oversized belt.

"There's something else, isn't there?" I asked.

"W-What?"

"Girls pick up on these things, Danny," I said, looking at him slyly. "We know when a guy's hiding something." It was meant to come out jokingly, but the look on Danny's face told me he didn't perceive it as a joke. "OK, now you _have_ to tell me," I said.

"Paulina's going to the dance with me," he said, chuckling nervously.

"What?" I cried.

"Dash pushed me into my locker and when I got out, she found this necklace in my backpack," he sighed. "I said I'd give it to her if she agreed to go to the dance with me. So she said yes."

I scowled. "I'd still be careful of her," I muttered. "Girls like her are snakes, Danny."

"Oh quit being such a downer," he chuckled. "I'm going to the dance with Paulina! How many guys can say they're doing that?"

I scoffed.

* * *

Danny said he was going to find his parents so while I went into my room to get some alone time. With all the craziness over the dance, Danny and I weren't getting in a lot of practice time, so I figured I'd get some studying done.

I had a big project coming up and I didn't want to waste my time at some stupid dance.

But when I started thinking about what Danny said earlier, I frowned. He said he'd give Paulina a necklace if she agreed to go to the dance with him, so where'd he get the necklace?

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe, it all belongs to the producers. All I own are my characters and my fillers.**

 **If there's any way you think I could make this story better, let me know. If the chapter was too similar to the episode, I apologize. Just leave a review on what you think.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch. 9**

* * *

 _Do you recall not long ago,_

 _We would walk on the sidewalk,_

 _Innocent, remember?_

 _All we did was care for each other..._

 **~Lean On; by Major Lazer + DJ Snake**

* * *

"So your Dad's going to chaperone the dance?" Sam asked. It was after school and we were spending it at the mall. Danny had told us about the whole situation with him overshadowing his father in order to avoid telling him about the conference with Lancer. In the end, Danny inadvertently had his father agree to chaperone the dance.

"Yes," he groaned, "except he doesn't know he's going to chaperone because he doesn't remember that _I_ made him say yes!"

"That's why you gotta be careful with this stuff," I muttered, nibbling on my fries. "You can't just use your powers to get out of tough situations."

"Whoa, let me get this straight," Tucker exclaimed, "you can just walk into anyone and take over their bodies from the inside?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Danny lowered his head onto his hand, a scowl on his face.

"Can you do that, too, Jaimie?" Tucker exclaimed, an excited look in his eyes.

"Don't even think about it." I gave him a look.

"But think about it—if one of you could control a girl for _two minutes_. . . ."

"Forget it," Danny muttered. "You can get your own date for the dance, like I did."

"Does he have to take off his pants _and_ act like a dweeb?" Sam scoffed. "Or will either one do?"

I choked back a laugh.

A look of confused surprise swept across Danny's face before the realization hit. "That's very funny," he muttered, taking a bite out of his burger.

"Honestly, guys, I'm happy I'm not going to the stupid dance," Sam exclaimed. "It saves me the embarrassment of wearing the stupid dress my parents bought me."

"So no one's asked you, huh?" Tucker said.

"No one's asked me either," I said. "This stupid dance got old really fast."

"Let's not forget, we're not as pretty as _Paulina_ ," Sam said, nudging me.

"Oh that's right!"

Sam and I threw a look Danny's way.

"Why are you guys so down on her?" Danny asked, looking genuinely confused. "So she's pretty, it's not a crime."

"Looks are deceiving, Danny," Sam said grimly.

Before the argument—or whatever it'd be called—could continue, a loud crash and the sounds of people screaming caught out attention. That was when Danny's Ghost Sense went off and I felt a shiver run up my spine.

"Ghost time?" Tucker asked.

Doing a quick transformation—thankfully the mall had pretty much been abandoned—Danny and I flew over to where a giant Ghost Dragon stood near the entrance of one of the little shops. A golden necklace was around its neck.

"Isn't that the Dragon from before?" I exclaimed.

"I think so!" Danny muttered. "Hey! Haven't we met somewhere?"

The Dragon looked over at us and let out a roar before spewing out green flames. Danny and I managed to get out of the way before it hit us.

"OK, let's try this again," Danny exclaimed. "I'm Danny Phantom, that's Jaimie. You are?"

The Dragon roared again before swinging its tail and knocking Danny right out of the sky. Letting out a frustrated groan, I glared at the Dragon before shooting out an ecto-ray at it. It was hardly fazed, hitting me with its hand, causing me to crash into the nearest wall. Shooting out some more green flames, I went intangible and flew out of the way of the flames. Danny had recovered from his hit and flew in right next to me. The Dragon shot out more flames, but we dodged it and tackled the Dragon back a couple feet before grabbing us and pinning us to the ground.

 _"Must have tee!"_ it cried.

"Tea sounds lovely!" I exclaimed. "Coffee might make you a bit jittery."

Phasing through the floor, I shot out and punched the Dragon in the jaw, causing it to fly back. In an instant, the Dragon disappeared. Going back to Danny, I transformed back into a Human and helped him up. He quickly changed back, rubbing the back of his head with a slight grimace.

"You OK?" I asked.

"I've been better," he muttered. "What about you?"

I gave my best smile. "I'm fine," I brushed off. "The Dragon's gone though."

Sam and Tucker ran up beside us, a look of concern on their faces.

"That's the second time we've fought that Dragon," Danny said irritably. "We need to investigate. How are you guys?"

"Great," Tucker exclaimed. "If you still don't count me being dateless for the dance."

"Tuck, quit worrying about that stupid dance," I sighed. "It's not that important."

"I've hit every girl in school!" Tucker cried. "Except. . . ."

He stopped talking right at Valerie, another popular girl in school, walked by.

"Yeah, hi," she sighed. "Sucker was it?"

"Tuck. Or Tucker. Or Tuckerino."

"Which ends with no, which is my answer," Valerie said dismissively. "Unless something happens in the next five minutes that makes me dateless."

"You'll never guess what happened?" Kwan said, running up next to Valerie. "Donna said she'd go to the dance with me, so you're dateless."

"You're on," Valerie sighed, walking off.

* * *

"I don't understand why I have to wear this stupid thing," Jack said. Maddie was fixing a tie for him, he had made no attempt to change out of his jumpsuit and the tie was the only thing he'd agree on.

"Because it's Danny's first dance, Jack," Maddie said patiently. "If we're going to chaperone this thing we have to make sure we don't embarrass him."

"How would we embarrass him?" Jack asked.

"I think it's great when you guys do anything that has nothing to do with your sick obsession with Ghosts," Jazz said firmly.

"I bet Danny will have a blast," I teased, smirking at him. He shot a slightly embarrassed look my way. "He hasn't shown me what his tux looks like though."

"Why aren't you going?" Jazz asked.

"Some might say it's because I don't have a date, but I just don't do dances," I said.

"Any boy who asks you or Jazzy out for anything will have to go through me," Jack exclaimed. "But the strange thing is I don't even remember volunteering to chaperone for the dance. It's all a vague blur."

"By the way, Danny," Jazz said quietly, "just so you know, I'm onto your little secret."

"What secret?" Danny cried.

"The clumsiness, the nervousness—I can't believe I didn't figure it out before. You have a girlfriend."

I sputtered a laugh.

"It's a lie, I'm not a Ghost!" he cried. Realizing what he said, Danny shook his head. "She's not my girlfriend, she's just going to the dance with me."

"That's great!" Jack exclaimed. "I can meet her and talk about Ghosts!"

"You better let her know your family's insane now, Danny," Jazz warned, a teasing tone in her voice. "If you marry her and she finds out later, that's entrapment."

"I'd better go get ready," he sighed.

"Have fun!" I called after him. He shot a heated glare my way.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry if the ending was weak. If there's anything about this chapter you didn't like, let me know. If there's anything you did like, let me know. If you've got ideas on future updates, let me know!**

 **I own nothing in the Phantom universe, all I own are my characters and my fillers.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ch. 10**

* * *

 _They say we are what we are,_

 _But we don't have to be,_

 _I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way..._

 **~Immortals; by Fall Out Boy**

* * *

 _ **[**_ **Jaimie _]_**

For the most part, the evening was pretty dull. Danny had gone off to get Paulina for the dance, Jazz was off doing her own thing, Jack was chaperoning the dance with Maddie. I decided to confide myself in my room and do homework. It wasn't like there was much for me to do; everyone was out having a good time or they were occupied by other things.

 _Why am I getting so worked up over this?_ I thought solemnly. _It's just a dance—what's the worse that could happen?_

Sighing, I looked down at my textbook with disinterest. I had been so unmotivated to go to the dance before, but now that it was happening, there was something I felt wasn't right.

Closing my textbook irritably, I stood up from my bed and shuffled out of the room. I went down to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

 _If there's any trouble, there's no doubt Danny will be able to handle it._ I picked out some pizza from a few nights ago and put it in the microwave. I sighed. _He's doing better in his training, so if anything goes downhill, he'll do just fine!_

I jumped a little when I heard the home phones ring. When it stopped, I frowned and took my pizza out of the microwave when it finished. Before I could even think of taking a bite, Jazz called for me.

"What is it?" I called.

"It's Danny!" she cried. "He wants you to come get something for him."

Sighing, I nodded wordlessly, but that didn't mean I wouldn't have a few words to say to Danny myself. Quickly pulling on a sweat jacket and some tennis shoes, I walked out the front door; doing a quick look-around to make sure no one was watching, I transformed, turned intangible, and flew as fast as I could to the high school.

* * *

By the time I reached the school, a sense of dread fell over me. Transforming as quickly as I could back into a Human, I hurried in and nearly ran to the gymnasium. It was a complete mess. A lot of the decorations were torn to shreds, littering the ground; whatever drinks and food that were put out were splattered on the floor and walls; not to mention the air had the familiar chill of a Ghost that was or had been around.

But I didn't see anyone around.

 _Maybe he left?_ I thought, frowning.

"Jaimie!" Turning, I saw Danny and Sam rushing over. "Good, you're here," Danny sighed.

"Jazz said you needed me for something," I said, narrowing my eyes a little at him. I took a quick moment to do a quick once-over on them—Sam seemed a little dazed and confused; Danny looked a bit out of breath and exhausted. As for Tucker, he showed up not too long after, looking concerned.

"Yeah, here." Danny handed the amulet to me. "I got a little carried away with this. It did more harm than good." Nodding slowly, I stuffed it in my pocket.

"I'll put it back in the Ghost Zone," I said quietly, dismissively. "Ya know, I _was_ having a nice evening."

Danny let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, well. . . .I thought I was, too."

Giving a small smile, I turned to leave. When I felt someone grab my elbow, I stopped and turned, confused.

"Thanks," Danny said, giving a small smile. He let go of my elbow.

"For what?" My brows knitted together.

"For everything you've taught me about how to fight Ghosts," he said. "I wouldn't have been able to handle tonight if you hadn't."

"You would've, trust me," I said, giving a small smile.

Right as I was about to leave again, Danny gave me a hug for what felt like the longest two minutes of my life. When he pulled back, I _finally_ managed to go—after telling Danny I'd meet him back at the house—and a feeling of something in the pit of my stomach.

* * *

For the most part, Jack and Maddie didn't ask many questions of the dance after Danny came home. They didn't even notice that I had left—which seemed a little weird since I expected Jazz to tell them. I had managed to put the amulet back into the Ghost Zone without any trouble, and when everything finally managed to calm down, I was able to enjoy what little time I had left in my day before I headed off to bed.

In the end, everything went on normally—as normal as it could get in the Fenton household.

Danny didn't want to talk about what went down at the dance, not yet at least. I could tell that whatever happened was something he wasn't really ready to talk about yet.

* * *

 _ **[**_ **Vlad _]_**

Sitting back in his seat, Vlad considered the scene in front of him. His daughter, sitting comfortably in the Fenton home. It had been nearly a year since Jaimie had runaway, and it had only taken him, regrettably, seven and a half months to find her. Some of the Ghostly henchmen he managed to get to work for him finally found her after what felt like a lifetime.

Needless to say, the search couldn't have concluded soon enough.

But as Vlad kept observing Jaimie, he felt a pang of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. His daughter, his _only_ daughter, was living comfortably with the. . . . _Fentons_!

"Is there anything else you need us to do?" Turning, Vlad saw three of the Ghosts he had hired to do the searching—three Ghost Vultures. They had been the most useless out of all the Ghosts Vlad had hired.

But that didn't mean they couldn't be useful for _some_ thing.

"No, not yet." Vlad's eyes narrowed. "Not yet."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hopefully you guys liked this chapter! I kinda feel like Jaimie shouldn't be involved in every little thing that goes on in the show, so that's why I didn't have her really involved in this. If you've got any ideas or suggestions for anything in this story, leave a review or PM me on anything.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe; all I own are my characters and my fillers.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of this chapter!**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ch. 11**

* * *

 _I know you're lyin',_

 _'Cause your lips are movin',_

 _Tell me do you think I'm dumb?_

 _I might be young,_

 _But I ain't stupid,_

 _Talking 'round in circles with your tongue..._

 **~Lips Are Movin'; by Meghan Trainor**

* * *

 _ **[**_ **Jaimie _]_**

The aftermath of the dance had been the talk of the school for the past couple days. From what Danny told me—after he finally decided to tell me—was that Sam and Paulina had some kind of altercation which, in the end, resulted in Sam getting ahold of the amulet and transforming into the Dragon Ghost, nearly destroying the gymnasium. And that also meant that Paulina had no real intentions of having an interest in Danny, she was just using him to get back at what Sam and I had said about her being shallow; that's what Sam told me.

"So the amulet's the reason the Dragon was showing up?" I asked. Sam and Danny nodded. "And Paulina was being even more shallow by trying to use you to get back at Sam and I?" They nodded again. "Well I'm happy I didn't go then," I snorted. "That sounded exhausting."

"Thankfully my parents haven't been asking a lot of questions about it." Danny's shoulders hunched in slight irritation. "My father hardly remembers what happens and my Mom is still debating on what could've happened."

"At least it's finished with," I sighed. "No more Dragon Ghosts. We can relax for a little bit."

* * *

Soon school came to an end and we all went our separate ways. Sam was still feeling a little down about the whole wrecking the dance situation, and Tucker wasn't really feeling up to hanging out; so that left Danny and I to figure out a way to blow our afternoon. We didn't have much homework, and neither of us really wanted to do any training—at least not without Sam or Tucker around—so we opted to just walking around town for a little bit.

"I always see you wearing that necklace." I looked over at Danny, a curious expression was on his face. It took me a minute to realize what he was saying before I felt a rush of something wash over me. Since the only thing my mother left behind was a locket and her wedding ring, I decided to wear the locket, with the ring added on, every day. It was the only thing I had to remember her by.

Unconsciously, I touched the golden pendant. "It was my mother's," I sighed.

"Didn't you say your parents divorced?" Danny asked.

I nodded. "When I was little. I don't really remember her."

"That's probably the most I've ever heard you say about your family," Danny murmured, looking almost thoughtful.

"It's a sensitive subject."

"You've never talked about your father."

"I don't like talking about him."

I felt Danny's eyes on me and I felt a bubble of irritation in the pit of my stomach. I knew Danny and the others meant well, but whenever they mentioned my personal life, I felt myself shutting down and I just couldn't handle it. I'd feel myself remembering every little thing Vlad did to me, that overwhelming feeling of fear and anger would come over me and then...then I'd feel myself getting upset at myself for getting worked up over it in the first place.

"Jaimie, why don't you trust me enough to talk about this?" Danny exclaimed.

"There's some things that I can't just explain, OK?" I exclaimed. "You're my best friend, Danny, but I just can't go diving into things that I don't like diving into." I saw a look sweep across his face. "Please, can we just agree on that?" I begged.

* * *

 _"You know I only want what's best for you, right?" I was standing in the middle of a laboratory; only it had a menacing feel to it. I couldn't explain it, but I wanted to leave. I was scared. But I couldn't. I was strapped to a metal table, and Vlad was standing at my side, a syringe in his gloved hands. My body hurt enough as it is, but that didn't seem to make him want to stop._

 _"It hurts," I muttered._

 _"Don't worry, sweetie," he chuckled, "it'll be better before you know it."_

 _He stuck the syringe in and I felt as if the veins in my arm were being lit up._

 ** _—The Ghost of You—_**

My eyes snapped open and I felt myself repressing a loud gasp. By the time Danny and I returned from our little journey around town, it was close to six in the evening and I wasn't really up for anymore socializing, so I kept to myself for the remainder of the day. Needless to say, Jack and Maddie were worried about my odd behavior and Jazz wouldn't stop throwing suspicious looks my way. While I always appreciate the Fentons' concern, it was still overwhelming. Vlad was never concerned about my wellbeing—it was always about him, him, him and how he can win back Maddie's love. Which, in my opinion, I doubt he even had in the first place.

Rubbing my eye, I looked over at my alarm clock and groaned. It was three in the morning.

Throwing my arm over my eyes, I tried willing myself to go to sleep. I honestly didn't want a night filled with nightmare/memories, but a night where I didn't sleep at all was something I hated even more.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Let me know what you guys think of this chapter! If you've got suggestions on future updates, possible character development, OC's you'd like added to the story, etc., let me know! I'm all for hearing what you guys have to say.**

 **I own nothing in the Phantom universe; it all belongs to Butch Hartman. I own my characters and fillers.**

 **Seriously, if you've got ideas on side-plots, character development or anything you could possibly think of for this story, don't hesitate to tell me or ask. I'll always listen to what you guys have to say!**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	12. Chapter 12

**Ch. 12**

* * *

 _Once upon a time somebody ran,_

 _Somebody ran away saying fast as I can,_

 _I've got to go, I've got to go..._

 **~Princess of China; by Coldplay + Rihanna**

* * *

 ** _[_ Jaimie _]_**

 _I sat in my bedroom, chewing on my bottom lip. I was absentmindedly playing with my mother's necklace, twirling the pendant and the wedding ring she'd left behind between my thumb and forefinger. Vlad was in his laboratory_ — _he'd been in there most of the day, working up some kind of thing I couldn't explain. I prayed he didn't come in my room._

 _I swallowed thickly._

 _If Vlad came in, he'd probably notice a few things missing_ — _the things I planned on taking with me. For over a month, I'd been planning a way to escape Vlad's clutches. He didn't feel like a father to me, not since my mother ran off. Maybe if she had taken me with her, I wouldn't be in the situation I was in, I wouldn't be scared and angry and lonely..._

 _Lonely._

 _It was a feeling that seemed to outweigh the other emotions I felt._

 _I had been homeschooled all my life, so I didn't have any friends._

 _I wasn't allowed to leave the house_ — _at least not without permission from Vlad and his supervision_ — _so I couldn't have time to enjoy myself._

 _Vlad spent so much time trying to figure out ways to win back some lady he never had, he didn't pay attention to me unless he really had to. But that was only for experiments._

 _I didn't have anyone._

 ** _—The Ghost of You_** ** _—_**

 _Vlad hadn't come into my room at all. He was busy going between his lab and the Ghost Zone, whatever he was working on was keeping him occupied. I couldn't have been more thankful._

 _I had managed to make myself a quick bite to eat before scurrying back to my room. It was getting close to sundown and I needed to make sure I had everything packed away for when I left. I couldn't bring a lot, it would slow me down and make the escape impossible._

 _I froze when I heard Vlad's footsteps going down the hall, him muttering something to himself. I had just gone back into my room, my door barely open. When I saw his shadow, heard his voice, I swallowed thickly and felt my heart pounding painfully against my ribs. Was he coming to get me? Whenever he made some new thing he always tested it out on me_ — _that's one reason how I gained Ghost powers. He didn't want some useless girl with partial Ghost powers._

 _That's what he always told me._

 _I had to be half-Ghost, to live up to his expectations. I could always tell he'd been disappointed to have a daughter, but when she didn't gain full Ghost abilities, he was livid. His lividness made itself perfectly clear after my mother's abandonment._

 _Injections from material he'd gathered from the Ghost Zones, different tests to ensure that I had gained the proper abilities_ — _if I hadn't, then oh well. I had to endure a lot of pain and unnecessary experiments until it filled Vlad's quota._

 _The one thing he didn't think of doing though, was building a Ghost Shield in case I decided to leave. He figured I'd always be his perfectly obedient daughter, doing whatever I had to do to impress him._

 ** _Not_ _anymore,_** _I thought bitterly. **He'll never hurt me again. No more!**_

 _I let out a sigh of relief when I heard Vlad continue down the hall into his bedroom. He slammed the door shut, making me flinch._

 _Practically tiptoeing to my bed, I knelt down and pulled out my backpack. I had filled it with only the necessary belongings_ — _clothes to last a couple days, some money I had saved up over the months, some toiletries, and a sweatjacket. I couldn't have too much. As for shoes...well, the tennis shoes I was wearing were relatively new._

 _I listened to hear if Vlad would be coming out of his room any time soon. When I didn't hear anything, I swallowed thickly before turning intangible._

 ** _—The Ghost of You_** ** _—_**

 _I had to be careful making it off Vlad's property. After phasing out of the mansion, I had to stay invisible so he wouldn't see me. All the practice he'd made me do after I gained my powers weren't going to be put to waste. Looking back at the mansion, after phasing through the tall iron gates that wrapped around the property, I swallowed thickly._

 _Did he notice I was gone? Hopefully not._

 _Once I started walking again, I tried my hardest to keep myself unseen. If Vlad did find out, I couldn't afford him finding me so quickly. After a couple miles, I transformed and started flying. I had to move quickly._

 _I had to._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hopefully you guys didn't mind a flashback chapter. Just as a reminder, there will be random chapters in this story dedicated solely to flashbacks, so let me know if it's OK with you guys before I do another one! It's important I know for sure.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the stresses with the knowledge of finals week approaching.**

 **If you've got ideas, suggestions, creative criticism, anything involving the production of this story, let me know. What you guys say is super important! I need to know what you guys think, 'cause that's what helps this story move forward. A good handful of you guys have been amazing with your reviews and I appreciate it greatly!**

 **I'd like to thank Guest, SnowKi, Babygirlz, Arrow-chan3, BlueEyedDreamer97, and ukitakeitalialover041757 for your reviews! I'd also like to thank everyone who's favorited and followed this story. You're all amazing!**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ch. 13**

* * *

 _Hey hey we are a hurricane,_

 _Drop your anchors in a storm,_

 _Hey they will never be the same,_

 _A fire in a flask to keep us warm,_

 _'Cause they know, I know,_

 _That they don't look like me..._

 **~Hurricane; by Panic! at the Disco**

* * *

I hadn't felt so relieved when the weekend rolled in. Not having to worry about school or anyone else made it feel even more relieving! But there was the sense that I still needed to help Danny with some of his training. He'd told me that after the dance, he wanted to see what else he could do to improve himself. Not that I didn't mind helping him—if Danny was really focused on getting better with his powers, then he'd need all the help he could get.

So, while Jack and Maddie were off doing some kind of Ghostly investigation somewhere—which Jazz and Danny were thoroughly embarrassed by—I told Danny that if he wanted to get anything done while his parents were away, we might as well do it then.

"OK, we're going to have to practice on keeping your powers under control when you're _not_ a Ghost," I instructed. Danny nodded wordlessly. "It's all about concentration. You're kind of getting better at it, but you _really_ need to practice on it."

"It's harder than I thought." Danny rubbed the back of his neck almost awkwardly. "How can I get that much concentration?"

"Try picturing your Ghost self as a different person," I said, hoping I was going to make any sense with what I was saying. "Keep your Ghost self kind of distanced from you." I pointed to Danny, still as a Human. I sighed. "I'm not making any sense," I muttered.

"No, I think I get what you're trying to say." Danny took a moment to think it over. "So, just try and keep more focus on being Human, and the Ghost part won't show as much." He looked at me, almost silently questioning it.

I thought it over and nodded. "That's one way of putting it," I chuckled. "OK, let's see what you can do, Fenton." I smirked at him.

Danny tried concentrating, keeping his gaze intent on nothing in particular. But despite his best efforts, he still managed to make his legs intangible and nearly had a heart attack when he started phasing through the floor.

"Well, I can tell we _really_ need to work on that," I laughed, helping Danny up. He threw a scowl my way, making me stifle another laugh. "Just keep practicing on it, OK? Whenever you get the chance." Danny nodded. "For now, let's worry about how you can use your actual powers without you wearing yourself out."

Danny quickly transformed, levitating a little in the air while he waited for instructions.

For the next hour or so, Danny practiced using his powers. After a little bit, I ended up transforming and practicing with him. I made little targets and moved them around so he'd have to work on hand-eye coordination. He showed he could be decent in hands-on fighting when needed, but he needed to work a little more on distant fighting. The only problem that came with the whole hand-eye coordination was that he hadn't exactly developed any kind of ecto-ray yet.

"This is harder than I thought," he said breathlessly. He was leaning forward a little, his hands on his knees as he tried catching his breath.

"Practice, Fenton." I shrugged. "You've gotta get your body used to exerting itself like this, otherwise you'll keep running low on energy early in the battles."

"How did you get so good at this?" Danny looked at me curiously. "I mean, you're acting like you've been doing this forever."

"I don't have a _lot_ of practice, but I do have some," I sighed. "And I haven't been doing this forever. I'm probably as new to this as you are."

Danny threw a look my way.

"I'm better at some things than I am at others." I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "This whole thing is still a little unreal to me."

"Did you get your powers in an accident?" Danny asked.

"Something along those lines."

Danny's brows furrowed.

"Whether or not I got these powers by accident doesn't matter," I brushed off. "What matters is that we're both improving ourselves. I help you, and it ends up helping me. It's a win-win scenario."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Danny thought it over. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. Even though he could be completely awkward, Danny was a smart kid and he knew—for certain things—when to take the time to think over a certain situation.

He sighed. "I guess that's all that matters, right?" A half smile came on his face.

I smiled in return. "I guess so." Patting him on the shoulder, I tried giving him the most supportive smile I could muster. "I think we've had enough of a break, don't you think?"

"No," he muttered, frowning.

"We're not going to get any better _talking_ , now are we?" I arched a brow at him. "Break's over, Fenton. Time to get a move on."

With a sigh from him, our practice resumed with little trouble.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **For one, I am so, so sorry for the wait! I got sidetracked by finals, so I had to study and then I just got distracted by the fact that I had all these things piled up. Hopefully you guys liked this chapter anyway. Tell me what you think, OK?**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the bed that I sleep in.**

 **If you've got ideas for future updates, possible side-plots, any possibilities of Vlad trying to figure out how to get Jaimie back, whatever ideas/suggestions you can think of—leave a review or PM me, OK? I'll always keep in mind the things you say. Unless it's a review saying I posted the same chapter twice. I know I did. I'm the one updating the story, so I know what's going on with it. Please stop leaving those reviews.**

 **I digress.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ch. 14**

* * *

 _I just got lost,_

 _Every river that I tried to cross,_

 _Every door I ever tried was locked,_

 _Oh and I'm,_

 _Just waiting 'till the shine wears off..._

 **~Lost; by Coldplay**

* * *

 _ **[**_ **Jaimie** _ **]**_

By the time the weekend came to an end, Danny and I had not only put in as much practice time as we could get, but also tried finding some kind of balance between homework and Ghost work. There hadn't been a _whole_ lot of Ghost activity—we made sure to keep a close eye on the Portal, making sure any Ghosts that got out were immediately put back in.

And, as per usual, everyone who didn't know about our secret remained blissfully unaware.

After effortlessly handling one escaped Ghost, Danny and I transformed back. Shoving the Fenton Thermos into his backpack, Danny let out an exhausted sigh.

"This is getting out of hand," he exclaimed in disbelief.

"You got that right," I muttered.

"You guys are getting better," Sam put in. "As long as you're keeping up with your practices, it can't be that bad."

"Sam's right," Tucker said, "it could be worse."

I rolled my eyes. How could it be any worse? Having to balance a normal life with a Ghost stopping alter ego? Not as easy as it seems.

"I'm surprised your parents haven't said anything," I said, looking at Danny. "I would've thought Maddie would say something."

Shrugging, Danny looked completely indifferent to the topic of his parents. "Sometimes they get so caught up in their own world that it wouldn't even matter," he sighed. "It's probably a good thing, too. If they kept questioning us, it'd be even harder."

"Well, let's hope they don't start any time soon," I said.

* * *

It had been long after school ended that we all decided to go to the Nasty Burger and just hang out for the afternoon. There weren't any more Ghost signs, so it gave us an afternoon off. Most of the school was already at the Nasty Burger once the four of us walked in. The little fast food joint was popular for us kids in Amity Park. It was the number one hang out spot in the entire city.

So when Danny and Tucker offered to order whatever Sam and I wanted, we took the opportunity to tell them and find an open table.

Looking over at Danny and Tucker, I felt a little relieved seeing them in line. "Hey Sam?" I looked at her with a hint of hesitation. When she looked at me, an expression of curiosity on her face, I took that as my sign to continue. "Have you felt, recently, like someone's been watching you?" I asked, making sure to keep my voice low.

Sam's expression went from curious to almost worried in a heartbeat. "Watching?" she repeated. "No, not really. Why? Is something wrong?"

I hunched my shoulders a little. "I dunno," I sighed. "It's just a feeling."

Before Sam could say anything else, Danny and Tucker rushed over and handed us our food. They seemed completely unaware of Sam's anxious glances my way, but knew better than to bring anything on the topic.

It was true that I felt like someone was watching me—though I tried jotting it down as maybe someone watching the four of us. I couldn't really understand who'd do something like that, since it wasn't a Ghost. If it was a Ghost, Danny's Ghost Sense would've gone off and I would've gotten that shiver up my spine. I'd make sure to be very careful about the things I did—I would double, maybe even triple, check my surroundings if it came to transforming; if a topic came up between Sam, Danny, Tucker, and I that involved Ghosts, I'd try and casually ask if they could keep their voices down [they probably thought it was because I didn't want anyone to overhear, which was true, but I just wanted us to watch what we said]; I checked out my window before I went to bed and when I woke up in the morning—I couldn't stand the feeling and it was killing me.

 _Is it Vlad?_ I swallowed thickly at the thought, trying my hardest to focus on just eating the burger Danny brought me. _If it's Vlad, you're in serious trouble. You might have to run away again_ _—this time, you'll have to be extra careful. Jack and Maddie may not be the most observant to certain things, but they'll notice you disappearing._ I tried downing the soda Danny brought me, hoping to distract myself further from my thoughts. I was hoping—praying—it wasn't Vlad. I'd spent almost a year away from him, I couldn't risk the Fentons' safety on what my father could potentially do. I couldn't risk Sam's or Tucker's safety either. _If it is him, keep a backpack ready. You'll never know when you'll have to just go. The Fentons are nice, Sam and Tucker are nice, too, but their safety is more important than you wanting to stay._ Slowly putting down my half eaten burger, I felt my stomach knotting up. I lost my appetite.

Once we'd leave Nasty Burger, I'd have to make sure I have the proper necessities ready in case I have to run again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey-yo, everybody! Sorry for the delay, but here's the chapter! If you've got any ideas on how to improve it or how I could improve the story, let me know and I'll do the best I can.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the books that I read.**

 **Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Father's Day.**

 **If you've got any suggestions or ideas on possible fillers, side character pairings, any kind of major filler that could happen between episodes, etc., let me know!**

 **Do you think Vlad's been keeping tabs on Jaimie? Is she being paranoid? Do you think it's someone else? Let me know what you think.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	15. Chapter 15

**Ch. 15**

* * *

 _Don't go around tonight,_

 _Well, it's bound to take your life,_

 _There's a bad moon on the rise..._

 **~Bad Moon Rising; by Creedence Clearwater**

* * *

 _ **[**_ **Jaimie _]_**

As I promised myself earlier, the moment I found time to myself, I sneaked into my room to prepare for the worst. If my gut was right and I was, in some way, being watched by someone who was working for Vlad, then I'd have to make my escape as quickly and as quietly as possible. I wasn't going to risk the Fentons' safety or the safety of Sam or Tucker because of my selfish desire to live with them. I loved Amity Park, I loved living with the Fentons. I absolutely _adored_ the normal life they gave me, but I should've known better than to have grown attached.

 _Nothing lasts forever,_ I thought solemnly, stuffing a few clothes into my spare backpack. I had brought it with me the day I ran away. _I should've known Vlad would find me. He's always got something up his sleeve._ I paused for a moment to think it over. Did Vlad _really_ find me? Was I just being paranoid? If my father had found me, he would've sent some Ghostly goon to drag me back to Wisconsin. But he hadn't. _Because this time, Jaimie, he probably sent an ordinary person to spy on you._

I frowned. Had he done that? He was rich enough to do something like that.

 _Are you seriously questioning yourself on that? Vlad's a_ _billionaire_ _! He could promise anyone anything and they'd do it for him! "Find my missing daughter and all your wildest dreams can happen!"_ _—sounds like him, don't you think?_

I swallowed thickly. Whether Vlad had sent a person or a Ghost, my gut was telling me to be prepared, and I was going to be prepared.

"Jaimie, you've been in here for a while, are you. . . .?" Before I had time to react, Danny walked into my room, stopping midsentence to look at me confusedly. His eyes darted to my backpack and to the items I had surrounding me. "What are you doing?" he asked slowly.

"It's nothing," I said quickly, hurriedly putting everything away. "Don't worry about it."

"No, that's not nothing!" Danny exclaimed. "I'm tired of you not telling me anything! I'm tired of there always being secrets."

"Danny, please. . . .," I hissed, looking up at him desperately.

"Please _what_?" he nearly cried. "You know more about my family than I know about you! You've been here for almost a _year_ , Jaimie. Why can't you trust me enough to talk to me?"

I felt physically and emotionally numb. Danny was right—I knew more about his family than he knew about me; I would only tell him bits and pieces of my personal life, but other than that, I kept everything under lock and key. I spent so much time feeling terrified on what he'd think of me if I ever told him about myself that I had built up a barrier around myself. I was detached emotionally and, in a sense, physically.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said softly, avoiding his gaze.

"Try me." There was a hint of defiance in Danny's tone.

I swallowed thickly.

* * *

By the time I finished explaining, Danny's eyes were distant. He looked almost mortified. When I had told him my father was Vlad Masters, he had paled significantly; when I told him about my mother's abandonment, that it wasn't really a divorce that separated my parents, he looked at me with pitiful sympathy; when it got to the experiments, he looked nauseas. Not once did Danny interrupt me with questions or personal input. The only thing I left out was Vlad's obsession with Maddie.

A silence fell between Danny and I when I finished. He stood there, almost as still as a statue.

"You wanted to know so badly, well there you go," I exclaimed defensively.

Danny's eyes flickered to me, swinging back and forth between all these emotions that were too overwhelming for me to identify.

I expected him to be angry, disgusted. I expected him to run to his parents and announce what I'd told him.

I expected him to tell me to leave.

"Jaimie, I am so sorry," he said, his voice unusually soft.

My heart clenched.

 _Is he pitying you? I think he's pitying you!_

"I don't need your pity," I exclaimed, still defensive.

"What?" Danny exclaimed, looking confused. "I'm not pitying you, Jaimie! What you went through. . . .No one should have to go through that! What kind of father does that to his daughter? You had every reason to run."

I looked at him, a knot forming in my stomach.

"You shouldn't have to be scared of your own father," he went on. "That's not how it should be! How could your mother leave you like that?"

"Danny," I interrupted, my voice sharp. Danny stopped his ranting, looking at me. His eyes were burning with anger. Except his eyes weren't their usual blue, it was that Ghostly green color when he became Danny Phantom. "Don't. I don't need you feeling this way."

"Jaimie. . . .," Danny tried.

"No." My voice was curt, leaving no room to argue. "If Vlad's found me, if he's up to something, I can't stick around." Danny's eyes widened in shock. "I'm not risking the lives _or_ safety of you guys. You all mean the world to me and I would never forgive myself if Vlad did something to hurt any of you."

"He won't hurt us," Danny exclaimed, his Ghostly green eyes intensifying in color with his anger.

"You've never met my father," I snapped. "He's half-Ghost, too, Danny. He's more powerful than any Ghost you've been up against. Vlad would wipe the floor with you before you'd even transform." Danny seemed taken aback by the comment. "I am not risking your safety," I said softly. "I'm not risking Jazz's or your parents'. Not even Sam's or Tucker's. If I even see a _hint_ of something I think is Vlad-related, I'm gone. I should've been prepared for this sooner, Danny. I should've known he'd find me eventually."

Before the discussion could go any further, and before Danny or I could even react, I felt as if the air had gotten knocked out of me as a rush of air surrounded me.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hope you guys liked this chapter! Sorry if it felt short. If you think there's anything I could improve on in this chapter, or future chapters, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? Your feedback is super important for this story's progression.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the clarinet I play.**

 **OK, guys, I've got to tell you that this whole chapter idea was suggested by the kind reviewer,** _e_ _rica_ _.phoenix16_ **. The whole Danny-walking-in-on-Jaimie-packing-her-belongings-for-a-potential-escape was this kind reviewer's idea. If any of you have ideas on future updates and what could go on between Danny, Jaimie, and any of the show's other main/side characters, let me know! I'm all for your ideas.**

 **Question time!: We all know about how Vlad had a little moment of obsession with Danny. That obsession eventually got so out of hand, Vlad tried cloning Danny in hopes of having his own "version" of Danny as his "son". As a result, Vlad makes Dani, the female, younger version of Danny. Should Dani be seen as Jaimie's "sister", or should I not write her character into the story? Or if I choose to write Dani's character in, how should that whole relationship go down? Dani considers herself to be Danny's "cousin", so...**

 **I'll leave it up to you guys.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ch. 16**

* * *

 _I know exactly what I want and who I want to be,_

 _I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine,_

 _I'm now becoming my own self fulfilled prophecy,_

 _Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh..._

 **~Oh No!; by Marina and the Diamonds**

* * *

It took me a minute to really understand what was going on and for me to catch my breath. When the air stopped rushing around me, I felt myself dangling, my body feeling limp while something cold held onto my ankle. My reaction was delayed. I was far above Amity Park, dangling upside down, trying to comprehend how everything got so out of hand so quickly. That all-too-familiar chill ran up my spine—probably also delayed from how quickly things turned out. Struggling to look at who was holding me, I finally managed to angle my head enough to get a glimpse of the Ghost. It was a big, bulky, green looking Ghost—its eyes were glowing red, its mouth turned up into a snarl. It didn't have any obvious legs, only a Ghost-tail, and I could tell I'd have a hard time trying to fight it off.

"Well," I grunted, "you must be working for my father." The Ghost snarled in an almost animal-like manner. "Just for the record, he's going to double-cross you. That's how Vlad works."

"I don't need to be hearing anything from you," the Ghost barked. Throwing me in the air, I let out a sharp shriek. I was about to transform before I felt the Ghost quickly grab my arm and put something around my neck. When I tried transforming, a tidal wave of pain went through my body. I let out a pained scream.

"Why don't you let her go?" Blinking rapidly, I saw Danny fly over, his eyes glowing a deeper shade of green.

"Another one?" The Ghost looked at Danny then back at me. Growling, the Ghost tightened its grip on my arm. "You halfas. . . ." Lifting up its free hand, the Ghost shot out an ecto-ray at Danny, hitting him square in the chest.

"Danny. . . .," I whimpered. The pain still rattled my body; I tried to move, to do something to help, but every time I tried to move, the pain intensified.

 _You can't lose to this thing! You've fought so hard for your freedom, you can't just have it thrown away like that._ Despite the pain I felt, I managed to adjust a little in the Ghost's grip. _Vlad's got nothing on you. He doesn't own you. You're not his property. Besides, you can't let Danny do all the fighting._

"I can finally finish this blasted mission," the Ghost grumbled.

"Ya know," I murmured weakly, "whatever my father promised you, he won't follow through." The Ghost's red eyes narrowed as he regarded me. "My father's a liar, he'll _always_ be a liar."

"Shut-up," it snarled, baring its teeth at me.

"If you're smart, you'd let me go."

"I said _shut-up_!" The Ghost raised its large hand in an attempt to hit me, but in that split second, I kicked my legs out against its side. Even though the Ghost looked physically strong, it was clear that what I'd done had caught it by surprise. It let go of my arm and I felt myself falling. I knew better than to try and transform again, fighting against every instinct in my body to do so. I saw the Ghost's form rush down and try to catch me, but before that could happen, I felt myself being pulled into another direction.

I let out a breath when I felt my feet touch the ground. Danny stood in front of me, eyeing me worriedly.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

"I don't know," I muttered. Touching my neck, I felt cold metal on my fingers. "Whatever this is, it's blocking my Ghost powers. I'm surprised that Ghost hadn't been effected by it."

Danny's eyes flickered to the sky before focusing on my neck. "I could try and. . . .," he murmured. Reaching a hand out, he let out a sharp cry when it shocked him. His eyes narrowed. "Your father made this?" he grumbled.

"I wouldn't be surprised," I said. "It could be his way of saying I'm his property." Danny's eyes glowed a brighter green at that. Looking up at the sky, I saw the Ghost flying down and fast. "Look, as much as I'd _love_ to talk about my Daddy-issues, we've got bigger problems to take care of."

Pushing me behind him, Danny's heated gaze went to the oncoming Ghost before he flew off without a word.

 _Without your powers, you're pretty much useless. Danny can't break it, you can't break it_ _—what're you supposed to do now?_

Chewing on my bottom lip, I tried finding something in the surrounding area that could possibly be used to help. I couldn't go back inside without drawing attention to myself; I was surprised Jack and Maddie hadn't come outside in a frenzy at the sight of two Ghosts fighting, even though one of them _happened_ to be their son.

Glancing over at Danny and his enemy, I let out a sigh.

 _If I'm going to be completely honest with myself, I didn't actually attempt to break this collar thing,_ I thought hurriedly. The Ghost shot another ecto-ray, narrowly missing Danny but hitting a nearby building. _But maybe if I try and transform enough, I could short-out whatever power this thing runs on._

It's a stupid idea. A very stupid idea. I carefully felt around the collar, and it didn't seem like there was any possible way to unlock it; what _else_ was I supposed to do?

 _You're going to be in so much pain later. . . ._

Closing my eyes, I held my breath and attempted to transform. The pain surged through my body before it became too intense and I had to stop. Black dots danced in my vision and it felt like I'd been punched so hard in the stomach I couldn't breathe. I felt a sharp wave of nausea and nearly gagged swallowing down the rising bile. Without wasting another moment, I tried again.

Each time I tried to transform, the pain became more intense, but I steadily felt the metal around my neck starting to heat up a little.

 _It's working!_ I thought exhaustedly. _If I can just do it one more time. . . ._

It was the final time that I actually transformed without feeling any pain. I felt the collar loosen around my neck before I yanked it off. Looking at it with slight disgust, I saw how it literally looked almost like a collar—a choker, maybe—you'd get for a pet. Throwing it on the ground, I flew over to where the Ghost and Danny were. Danny looked beat up, and I could tell that if the Ghost unleashed one more attack, he'd finish off Danny with no trouble.

Before that could even happen, I shot out an ecto-ray, hitting the Ghost in the chest and sending it back.

"Jaimie!" Danny exclaimed, sounding weak but surprised.

"Get the Fenton Thermos," I snapped, not looking at him. "This guy's not going to give up and he's way too strong for either of us."

"Jaimie, I. . . .," Danny started.

"Fenton, I swear, if you don't go get that Thermos _right_ _now_. . . .," I threatened. The silence let me know that Danny had gone to get it. When the Ghost came back, it looked even angrier than before. I shot out another ecto-ray, which it easily dodged.

"Plasmius was wrong about you," it growled. "You've got spirit."

I let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, well, it wouldn't be the first time he's underestimated me." I shot out another Ecto-ray right as the Ghost shot one at me. Our blasts hit, causing a small explosion that was still powerful enough to send us flying in opposite directions.

"I guess it's time we pull the curtains on this," Danny exclaimed, flying up beside me. Removing the cap off the Thermos, he aimed it at the Ghost; a bluish white beam shot out and sucked the Ghost in. When the cap was put on, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

And it was in that moment everything started spinning.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey-yo, everybody! Here's the newest update! As a heads up for you guys, this whole idea was suggested by the kind reviewer, _e_ _rica_ _.phoenix_ _16_. Thank you so much for your suggestions! I'll be sure to add in the rest of it when the time comes.**

 **Nothing in the DP universe belongs to me. All I own are my characters and the studs for my nose piercing.**

 **If you've got ideas for future filler chapters, leave a review or PM me. If you have OCs you'd like to see paired with other characters, leave a review or PM me. Whatever you guys feel like doing.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	17. Chapter 17

**Ch. 17**

* * *

 _I've never hurt nobody, never buried a body,_

 _Never killed no one, no, no,_

 _I ain't afraid to get a little crazy,_

 _Baby when I'm in love,_

 _You say you've had your fun,_

 _And that you're done and I'm the one,_

 _Just know, that if you fuck around,_

 _Boy I'll hunt you down..._

-Hunt You Down; **from Kesha**

* * *

Danny watched in horror as Jaimie fell, transforming back into a human. It was probably one of the scariest moments in his life, and it caught him so off guard that it took him a moment to _actually_ react. After ensuring the Thermos was secured, he flew down as quickly as possible to catch Jaimie before she hit the ground.

 _You've got this Fenton,_ he thought quickly. _You can catch her. Just hurry up._

Doing everything in his power to speed up, Danny eventually caught Jaimie _just_ before she was about to hit the ground. Keeping her body close to his, Danny clumsily came to a stop, his feet skidding across the pavement as he tried to regain his balance. Jaimie was certainly a bit heavier than he thought, but that didn't matter. Looking down at her, Danny felt a pang of sadness and anger rush through him. Her _father_ was treating her like some kind of animal - putting electric collars on her? What kind of father did that to their own child? And _experimenting_ on her? Whoever Vlad Masters was, he was _definitely_ the definition of sick. At least when Danny got his powers, he got them by accident. Jaimie. . . .she had to be poked and prodded like she was some kind of lab rat. Danny couldn't even _begin_ to imagine how terrifying that must've been.

"Hey! Who's out there?!" When the sound of Jack Fenton's voice filled Danny's ears, a sense of dread came upon him. If his father saw him, especially with an unconscious Jaimie in his arms. . . .Danny could only imagine what would happen. Quickly turning intangible, Danny flew off to his bedroom right as Jack opened his bedroom window, holding one of his ghost-fighting blasters in his hand.

 **o.o.o.o**

Having made it to his bedroom without getting caught, Danny quickly put Jaimie on his bed. She looked a little pale, and he noticed how her features scrunched up a little from what looked like discomfort. Maybe fighting that ghost was bringing up bad memories, or the mention of her father was causing Jaimie to relive those moments of experimentation he put her through. Either way, Danny couldn't stand the thought of his friend having been treated the way she had been. Transforming back into a human, Danny sat on the ground with his back against the side of his bed. Jaimie needed his bed more than he did, so he'd let her rest on it for as long as she wanted. Whatever she remembered, or whatever she wanted to talk about, they could figure out in the morning. Danny wouldn't push her, wouldn't make her do something she wasn't comfortable with.

Faintly, the sounds of Jack and Maddie could be heard in the halls of the house. Danny knew that they were probably looking for whatever weapons they could throw together to see what caused the commotion outside. It was kind of funny, the more he thought about it - Danny's parents could sleep through an entire ghost fight, but were wide awake the second it was over.

 _Typical,_ he thought. Bringing his knees up, Danny wrapped his arms around them and rested his chin on his legs. He'd have to figure out a way to put the ghost back into the Ghost Zone without his parents noticing, figure out a way to work things out with Jaimie, and. . . .

Sighing, Danny already felt overwhelmed. He wanted nothing more than to have a nice, normal life; but of course he had to be born to ghost obsessed parents. And _of course_ he had to accidentally get into a lab accident and become half-ghost. He couldn't tell his parents, they'd tear him apart molecule by molecule. Jazz couldn't be trusted with that kind of information. She'd tell their parents without a second thought. Danny was thankful that he had his friends around to at least keep his ghost-half a secret. He was also thankful that _Danny Phantom_ wasn't known to the public, either. God only knows what would happen if Phantom were to be exposed to the city.

A slight groan caused Danny to snap out of his thoughts. Standing up, he saw Jaimie lazily rubbing her face, a grimace on her features.

"Jaimie," Danny whispered, gently touching her arm. "Can you hear me?"

"God, what happened?" she muttered, her words slurring together. She was still rubbing her face, one of her eyes opening slightly and looking over at Danny. "Why're you looking at me like that?"

"You passed out."

A look of slight confusion came across Jaimie's features. "I did?" she muttered. "What about the ghost?"

"I got it." Danny motioned to the Thermos, sitting not far from his bed. "I'll have to put it back in the Ghost Zone, once I get the chance. My parents woke up not long after the fight."

Nodding, there was a moment of silence between the two. Jaimie laid on the bed for a moment longer before sitting up, rubbing her head slightly. Danny immediately reached out to try and help, but Jaimie brushed the gesture off.

"I appreciate your help," she muttered, "but I think I'll be fine."

"You were pretty beat up. Not to mention that collar. . . ."

"I'd prefer not to talk about it."

Shutting his mouth, Danny looked at his friend anxiously. She looked physically and mentally exhausted. Her shoulders were slumped and her hair was falling around her face.* Letting out a sigh, Jaimie forced herself off Danny's bed, though she had trouble keeping her balance for very long.

"Stay in my room for the night," Danny said quietly. "You're not in the best shape right now. I'll tell my parents that you're not feeling well. . . ."

"Don't get them involved." Jaimie looked at him pleadingly. " _Please_ don't get your parents involved."

Letting out a sigh, Danny nodded. "Fine," he muttered. "I won't."

"Thank you."

 **o.o.o.o**

I couldn't exactly make myself look at Danny. Part of me felt _extremely_ self conscious - after everything that happened with the ghost and telling Danny about Vlad, I wasn't exactly feeling all that good about myself. Add the fact that Vlad had the _audacity_ to send a ghost with a shock collar after me, and that made my confidence plummet even further. While I shouldn't be surprised that my father would send something as barbaric as that after me, I was a tad embarrassed that Danny had to get caught in the middle of it.

I could only hope his image of me doesn't change. The last thing I want is to lose a friend because of Vlad.

But how much of myself has changed in Danny's eyes because of what went down? Would he look at me as some kind of freak? Now that he knew my powers came from experiments, would that make him think less of me?

 _God, you sound pathetic. You honestly think Danny's going to change his opinion on you because of Vlad? If he really cared about you, none of that would matter._

Chewing on my bottom lip, I considered it. After I told him about what it was like back at the mansion, Danny seemed really bothered by it. The whole point of me running away from Vlad was so I could have a taste of normal life. The Fentons gave that to me, despite Jack's and Maddie's obsessions with ghosts. Jack and Maddie didn't have me feeling unwelcome or unwanted. They accepted me without skipping a beat. Not only that, but Jazz seemed to take responsibility over me, as well; despite my discomfort in how she approached all of it. Jazz's need to come off as an adult was a bit irritating, since she believed her parents were always wrong and she had to take care of everything. But Danny's eldest sister had good intentions, so I couldn't hold it against her.

And Danny. Danny, as awkward as he can be, was easy to befriend and nice company to have. He knew how to make someone feel welcome, even if his natural awkwardness clouds over what he's trying to do. I was so grateful for him and his family being so open to me. That was something Vlad couldn't and wouldn't do. He didn't care about me being his daughter; he didn't care how _I_ felt, as long as he got what he wanted done. That was one of many reasons why I _despise_ my father. Everything had to be about him. _His_ money, _his_ Ghost Portal, _his_ loneliness over not having Maddie. . . .It didn't matter that, at one point, he was married and had a daughter. It was all about how he could regain the attention of an old college sweetheart who never returned his feelings. The woman who married Vlad's old friend, who accidentally caused Vlad to gain ghost powers. The man Vlad swore would be his enemy until his dying days.

For me, I could never understand why Vlad was so obsessed with the Fentons. They were trying to live their lives. They had no ill will towards Vlad. From what I could gather, Vlad hadn't communicated with his old college pals since the accident. And they never really went out of their way to get in touch with him, either. And after living with the Fentons for as long as I have been, I could tell that they were really curious on how Vlad's been doing, but they never got around to calling. Jack and Maddie had children to take care of, a house to maintain, and lives to live. While ghost hunting wouldn't have been my first choice of jobs for Jack and Maddie, that was their passion. That was something I'd have to deal with, until I decide to move on.

The big question was, however, whether or not I really wanted to leave?

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **Hey-yo, everyone! It's been a while since I've updated this story, and I'm so sorry about that. Life got away from me, so I didn't have a chance to update this story or any of my other ones. If you see something in this chapter that you think could use some improvements, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? Constructive criticism is always welcome! I'll try and update this story as frequently as I can, but I'm closing in on my final couple months at community college before I graduate. But I'll hopefully not have such long gaps between chapters.**

 **Anywho, I own nothing in the DP fandom. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in.**

 **If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, PM me or leave a review. I'll try and put it in as quickly as possible.**

 **Leave your thoughts on anything that needs improvement.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	18. Chapter 18

**Ch. 18**

* * *

 _"I used to live in the darkness,_

 _Dress in black, act so heartless, but now,_

 _I see the colors are everything,_

 _Got kaleidoscopes in my hairdo,_

 _Got the stars back in my eyes, too, yeah now,_

 _I see the magic inside of me...,"_

-Rainbow; **from Kesha**

* * *

Looking at myself in the mirror, I scowled. There were bruises that were starting to form, plus some redness on my neck thanks to Vlad's shock collar. Touching the area, or anywhere near it, stung. In all honesty, it pissed me off. All I wanted was a normal life, something that was taken from me thanks to my good for nothing father. Once I finally had it, he gets paranoid and tries to take me back. He never wanted me anyway; why go through all the effort? I wasn't worth all of that. Vlad and I never got along, there was nothing suggesting any kind of relationship could work. We _barely_ managed to get along before I ran away.

Letting out a sigh, I looked away from the mirror. Seeing those bruises made me uncomfortable the longer I looked at them.

Danny had been kind enough to let me go to the bathroom to shower. I had to _really_ convince him to let me go, considering I wasn't about to get some rest feeling filthy. Sadly, though, Jack and Maddie were on some kind of ghostly rampage, thinking that all the noise they heard _(a little late, might I add)_ was related to an ambush. There had been a brief pause when they saw me shuffling through the hallways, looking tired as hell and a mess, no doubt. Maddie seemed absolutely petrified that I'd be walking around looking that way, Jack seemed confused and bewildered. I brushed off their questions and concerns, but I knew that they'd be bombarding me with more when the situation arose. Needless to say, I had a feeling of relief wash over me once that bathroom door was closed and locked.

The relief was short-lived once I saw the damage I had sustained.

 _How am I supposed to explain this?_ I thought anxiously. _Jack and Maddie are definitely going to have questions. I'm not going to be able to hide the neck bruise, and everyone will be able to see that!_

Was I really going to come up with some wild explanation on why I had a neck bruise? Who would believe me? If I left the house and anyone saw the damage, they'd suspect the worst. I'd _definitely_ have to leave then. Grimacing, I chewed on my bottom lip. I needed to come up with a reasonably believable excuse. Maybe I could overshadow anyone who asked? They wouldn't be able to remember a majority of the conversation, right? Danny did that to Jack for the dance, and Jack didn't remember a single thing.

 _They wouldn't remember certain parts of the conversation, but they'd still remember the bruises. You're gonna have to be smarter than that._ I really did need to think about it more. If I threw out whatever lame excuse I could think of, then it would solidify the belief that I was being abused by the Fentons. Not only would _that_ be problematic, but anyone from the outside - anyone I didn't know very well - who found out the living arrangements with me and the Fentons would have more reasons to worry.

 _Stop overthinking,_ I thought anxiously. _Give it some time. Something'll come up eventually. Stop making this so hard on yourself._

 **o.o.o.o**

When Vlad caught wind that his recapture plan had failed, saying that he was angry or disappointed would be an understatement. He had to get Jaimie back, and the longer he waited, the more difficult it would be. She was accustomed to those _blasted_ Fentons. She trusted them, to an extent at least. From what he understood, his daughter was more than likely keeping secrets from them. At least she learned _one_ thing from her father: not to _truly_ trust anyone.

But that didn't make things easier. She was still with them, and Vlad had to figure out a way to bring her back. It would take him some time to come up with a new plan. Something foolproof, obviously. He'd have to invest in more ghost help, but Vlad would need to find someone stronger, someone who could hold their own against Jaimie.

 _I'm the one who gave her her powers,_ Vlad thought spitefully. _She wouldn't be who she is without me._

Tapping his fingers against the wooden table in front of him, Vlad felt his brows furrow in frustration. How on _Earth_ did she manage to defeat someone like Salem? The ghost Vlad sent after her was relatively strong. He was a fighter, one who wouldn't stop at anything until his mission was completed. And Vlad hadn't heard a single word from him since his departure. Salem had been promised a reward in exchange for Jaimie, and the longer the ghost took to retrieve the girl, the more impatient Vlad became.

 _Should I retrieve her myself?_ he thought, narrowing his eyes slightly. Vlad shook his head. He couldn't risk being seen. He'd done such a good job building up his empire - getting richer, buying out companies, making a name for himself in the Ghost Zone, etc. Vlad couldn't _afford_ to leave. He had to stick around. While sending one of his ghost copies would sound like a good idea, it wouldn't be smart.

Crossing his arms across his chest, the older man set his jaw and pursed his lips. Jaimie's return was important. But, in the meantime, he'd result in finding whoever was the next strongest, the higher up from Salem.

Retrieving her himself would be Vlad's very last resort.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **A bad chapter, I know. But if you guys could look past that, I'd appreciate it. I've been so busy with school and work that I was too overwhelmed to even think about finishing this chapter. If you see anything that needs improvement, don't hesitate to let me know. I'd love to know what you think I should be doing better on. And if what I'm saying doesn't make any sense, I apologize. I'm very sleep deprived, and I'm trying to finish this up while trying to finish homework and a huge group project. College, amirite?**

 **Anywho, nothing in the DP universe belongs to me. All I'll ever own are my OCs and the subplots I put in.**

 **Do you have an OC or a subplot you'd like to see written into the story? Leave a PM or a review! I'll add it in as soon as possible! Whatever ideas you guys have are always welcome.**

 **Also, I don't remember if I put this in the last update, but how many of you guys have seen THOR RAGNAROK? It's honestly funnier than I thought it'd be. WAY better than the first two THOR movies in my opinion. Felt like they finally gave Thor more development and gave that little shit Loki some good screen time, too. Not to mention I liked Cate Blanchett's portrayal as Hela and just...yeah. My brain can't think right now. I'm too tired. Oh, and Valkyrie. I liked Valkyrie. She's a total badass, too. Plus the Hulk. I liked how he was written into the movie.**

 **I digress.**

 **Constructive criticism; leave reviews or PMs on OCs or subplot ideas; leave whatever thoughts you've got on RAGNAROK _(if you care enough to do so)_. That's about it. I'll try to update when my schedule's not so freakin' crazy.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


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